It may be the greatest challenge in Sarah Palin’s political career: how to respond to accusations that her words contributed to the Tucson massacre? According to columnist Christoph von Marschall of Germany’s Die Zeit, while most agree she bears no direct responsibility for the attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Palin’s entire future hangs in the balance.
For Die Zeit, Christoph von Marschall writes in part:
Only a very small number of people still believe that Sarah Palin bears any responsibility for the shootings in Tucson. But she knows: Right now, a single wrong word could end her career.
What’s the correct tone to take when defending yourself against accusations of being partly responsible for the Tucson attack? One wrong word could have unforeseen consequences. She’s not accustomed to that. Her future hangs in the balance, starting with a possible presidential candidacy in 2012. These are the kind of unexpected and unplanned moments that, in the American consciousness, are deciding factors in whether a person has the makings of a leader – a true leader.
For three days, the question of a causal relationship between Palin and the Tucson shootings has been intensely debated by the American public, and the question has now been answered with a clear “no.”
However, it’s too early for the uncrowned queen of right-wing conservatives to heave a final sigh of relief – and she knows it. For days she’s been weighing her words and treading carefully. She’s removed the cards with the crosshairs from her Web site. Is she actually retreating, rather than reloading? If so, she would be showing a new side of herself.
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