The shooting in Tucson was pounced upon by the mainstream media, who wasted no time in pointing the finger of blame squarely at Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the Tea Party. Columns were written, articles filed, ‘news’ programs aired, interviews done, Tweets were sent… And after reading, watching and listening one might think Palin had conspired with the shooter, provided him the weapon, told him who to shoot and driven him to the scene of the crime.
The media frenzy over Palin’s map and her “don’t retreat, reload” quote sent a clear message. That message was not that Palin was to blame, but that the media is absolutely terrified of Sarah Palin and the possibilities in her political future. They have unleashed everything they have against this woman and she is still standing there, more popular than ever. They have failed in their attempts to destroy her.
This brings us to Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank. On January 11 Milbank dove headfirst into the melee, writing a column in which he stopped just short of saying Sarah Palin as good as pulled the trigger. Milbank said Palin is “…finally being held to account for recklessly playing with violent images in a way that is bound to incite the unstable.”
Just ten days later, Milbank has had enough. Now that it’s clear the media attack on Palin has failed, Milbank has declared February a “Palin-free month” and promises to “not mention Sarah Palin — in print, online or on television — for one month.” He has called on others in the media to join him.
What do you do when your attack has failed? Disengage the enemy and retreat. For one month.
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