Sarah Palin has perhaps destroyed in eight minutes, what she had built for herself in three years. Before John McCain chose her as his vice presidential candidate in the 2008 race for the White House, Sarah Palin was virtually unknown outside of her state. But then despite her defeat, Palin managed to become a political force to be reckoned with inside the United States, with some measure of fame around the world. Her name became associated with that of the Tea Party and the success of the Republicans last year, before terror struck in Tucson, Arizona. Palin remained silent for four days after Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in her head, and six other people, including a child, were killed, with scores others injured. Palin then posted an eight-minute video, in which she defended herself against the accusations of extremism, incitement and indirect responsibility for the shooting. However, she made mistakes after mistakes in the video, which confirmed irrevocably that this woman is not fit for any senior position, as all eyes were focused on the tragedy in Tucson. She chose to attack her opponents instead of rising above differences and seeking to heal the wounds that afflicted the nation. She attacked the media and her political opponents, and the left, i.e. the liberals, and even said that criticisms against her are the equivalent of “blood libel”. Blood libel is a despicable anti-Semitic accusation against Jews, which originated in Europe. The libel alleges that the Jews use the blood of Christian children in the baking of matzos for Passover (others were also accused). The libel is part of the accusations that created an atmosphere of anti-Semitism in Europe, culminating with the Nazi Holocaust. Perhaps the damage would have been less – as a result of Palin's partisan statements and the fact that she invoked blood libel -, were it not for the fact that Barack Obama, on the evening of the same day, gave a 30-minute speech in a solemn ceremony to mourn the victims of the shooting. Obama did not make any references to his political opponents, and postponed accusations for later, focusing instead on restoring harmony among people, and emphasizing hope and the need to overcome the injury that has transpired. Palin combines extremism and ignorance, an otherwise lethal combination. She would have not attained her position in American politics, were it not for the extremists like her, who also have the other quality of being malicious, cunning and liars. They promoted her in order to rule with her as a front, if she becomes president, like they did with Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Glenn Beck, the host of a right-wing TV program on the Fox Network, sent her an e-mail message in the wake of the terrorist shooting in Tucson, suggesting that she should hire the personal protection service he uses, because her assassination would mean the “end of the republic”. This foul exaggeration is often reiterated in Beck's program, in the program hosted by Bill O'Reilly on the same network, and also by the demagogue Rush Limbaugh, who hosts a very popular radio program, and who recently signed a ten year contract worth 400 million dollars. The liberals, in turn, have their champions and supporters, such as Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow who both host a success program on CNBC, as well as John Stewart who hosts The Daily Show on Comedy Central. The difference between the two sides, however, is the same difference between a tabloid newspaper and a prestigious one. For instance, the London-based The Sun, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns the Fox Nework, sells around 2.9 million copies each day, while the prestigious newspaper The Guardian sells 270 thousand copies only. Similarly, Fox has two million viewers compared to less than half a million viewers for CNN. Tabloid papers address ignorant people and their instincts. They include almost constantly nude pictures and ‘ample bosoms' in the third page, and news about scandals, sex and third-rate ‘stars'. By contrast, a prestigious newspaper publishes accurate news and sober analyses that attract a few educated people. For this reason, the right wing in America engages in profanity and lying every day, along the lines of the sleazy third page mentioned above. I must admit that ignorant people in the United States and every other country outnumber intellectuals many times over. It follows that Sarah Palin represents a large segment, or a herd, of the low class, or the ‘washouts', and that this majority has the right to be represented in kind in a democratic country. I also read American commentators say that Obama's speech was a ‘Joseph Welch moment'. This needs further elaboration. Senator Joe McCarthy headed, in the fifties, a commission of inquiry that ruined many lives or reputations after people were accused of being communist. Then in 1954, a televised debate was held between Sen. McCarthy and the head counsel for the U.S. army Joseph Welch, who retorted angrily against McCarthy's demagoguery and extremism and said, “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” At this point, the attendees erupted in applause, and this moment was the beginning of the end for Joe McCarthy. Perhaps the Tucson tragedy is the beginning of the end for Palin, who once placed Giffords' electoral district in the crosshairs of her rifle. 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