Why did Palin choose "blood libel"?

C.W. Anderson, an assistant professor in the Department of Media Culture at the College of Staten Island (CUNY), wrote an excellent analysis of Sarah Palin's use of the term "blood libel" following the tragedy in Tuscon this weekend.

Anderson's article, “Blood libel”: How language evolves and spreads within online worlds," traces the evolution of the term in news accounts.

It appears that the term first appeared in some Internet accounts and then had the momentum to be used in the traditional media.

This is another example of the power of the Internet in shaping public discourse.