Palin supported Pat Buchanan in 2000

[Sam Spade]

I'm wondering at what point Obama supporters are going to start embarrassing other Obama supporters with crap like that.

funny.  But really, I'm about done with beating my head against a wall.

If you're upset with negative attacks and shocked by people "condoning" surrogates spreading false rumors about nominees, vote for change and a new kind of politics. Obama-Biden '08. Yes we can.

You assume that this is what my comment refers to.  But it doesn't.

Politics is war and rumors are part of war.  I have no problems with the spread of rumors that Obama is a muslim or Palin is an anti-semite.  The public sphere tends to filter these rumors out over time and those who actually believe the rumors probably wanted to believe them anyway.

Rather, in this situation my annoyance is with a person condoning the behavior and then another remarking that his comments aren't condoning the behavior.  I am rather intolerant towards stupidity.  And yes, I am somewhat of a grammar nazi.  

[HardRCafé]

Outrageous is part of politics... one reason it's amusing to see so much outrage from people in response to tactics and comments that have been part of American politics since time immemorial.

I'm sad you're so happy to hold yourself to an even lower standard.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

If she supported Buchanan in 1996, she's a definite FF in my book.  Only candidate I would have supported over Perot that year.

[Meeker]

The thing that I find most amusing is that the initial reaction to her supporting Pat Buchanan by some of the Republicans was "No, she supported Steve Forbes!" Oh good, because Steve Forbes wasn't kooky either.

Anyways, it looks like this pretty clearly isn't true, but the word is already being spread around and the Jews are angry. Damage has been done.

Welcome to the world of Obama is a Muslim smears, Sarah Palin!

And FTR, before some of the Republicans attack me, I would obviously prefer that this smear hadn't begun.

[brownieand45sfan]

Outrageous that a network would lie? 

BTW, I am told that Palin is one of those names that has to be Jewish and that therefore Todd Palin has a Jewish ancestor somewhere..

See e.g. http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/rakower.html

My grandmother just told me that the Israeli news network she listens to says Palin is an anti-semite.  This is outrageous.

[Alcon]

Outrageous that a network would lie? 

BTW, I am told that Palin is one of those names that has to be Jewish and that therefore Todd Palin has a Jewish ancestor somewhere..

See e.g. http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/rakower.html

My grandmother just told me that the Israeli news network she listens to says Palin is an anti-semite.  This is outrageous.

Israeli news seems remarkably good at starting unfounded antisemitism rumors about politicians...

But, irrelevantly, Palin is not a Jewish name.

http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/surnames/PALIN/meaning

But that would make Todd Palin probably the only Jewish Inuit in the entire world.

[Keystone Phil]

It doesn't matter if Palin is a Hebrew name. She was born Sarah Heath. By blood, Sarah is English, German and Irish.

[Alcon]

It doesn't matter if Palin is a Hebrew name. She was born Sarah Heath. By blood, Sarah is English, German and Irish.

I don't think it really matters either way

[Keystone Phil]

It doesn't matter if Palin is a Hebrew name. She was born Sarah Heath. By blood, Sarah is English, German and Irish.

I don't think it really matters either way

Well, that too, but I was just saying it for the record.

[brownieand45sfan]

It doesn't matter if Palin is a Hebrew name. She was born Sarah Heath. By blood, Sarah is English, German and Irish.

I don't think it really matters either way

Well, that too, but I was just saying it for the record.

I know it is always cool on blogs to say "it doesn't matter either way", but it is sometimes illogical.

The surnames website says:
"Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological."  So that hardly closes the book.

To the extent you can hypothesize from going to Auschwitz and shooting a video, Monty Python actor Michael Palin may have Jewish roots as well:
Michael Palin in Auschwitz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6jJC-MHWZE

You dont think a person married to a person with Jewish roots could at least be given the benefit of the doubt of not being an anti-semite, especially when there is not one word out of her mouth ever quoted to that effect, just guilt by (dubious) association?

Again, my friend is a brilliant Jewish scholar.  A lot of recognizing a name's ethnicity is just being immersed in that ethnicity.  And that, he is.

[Alcon]

I don't really think that proves anything either way.  How many people know the exact (disputed, apparently) etymology of their mate's last name?  But I think the fact that there's no reason to assume she's an antisemite is enough to make this a dumb issue.