Did 'blood libel' hurt Palin for president?

Will Sarah Palin's use of the term "blood libel" hurt her chances if she decides to run for president in 2012?

That is the question being debated in political circles and the answers are mixed.

Palin attracted controversy by accusing her critics, particularly in the news media, of committing "blood libel" by blaming incendiary political rhetoric by her and other conservatives for the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The term "blood libel" has been used to blame Jews for the death of Jesus.

A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds a majority of those surveyed say the idea that political rhetoric is to blame for the rampage is an attempt to make conservatives look bad.

"The strongest way to rise above would have been to talk about suffering, tragedy, hope, strength and recovery," former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told Politico. "But instead she (Palin) followed the more conventional political route and made it about herself rather than the victims."

Palin's effectiveness at grabbing headlines is unparalleled, one GOP strategist says. The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee "is now the dominant media presence on the Republican/Tea Party front," GOP strategist John Feehery told the Associated Press. "She can make news quicker and more effectively than any other conservative Republican."

But the format in which she makes news is an issue. Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who says he's not interested in running for president next year, told The New York Times that Palin's venue for communicating her thoughts about the Arizona rampage -- through a scripted video released on her Facebook page -- won't stand with voters who want to see politicians for themselves and the way they act in the public arena.

"People need to be judged by the way they conduct themselves in the public arena, in a way that is as minimally staged as possible," Christie said. "If Gov. Palin never does any of those things, she'll never be president, because people in America won't countenance that. They just won't."

On the Democratic side, political consultant Jim Jordan told the AP that Palin's comments on Wednesday help her with the GOP political base but turn off a broader electorate.

"Every time she pops off, she excites her narrowing band of partisans and probably makes herself more money, but she further alienates everyone else," Jordan said to AP.

USA TODAY's David Jackson reports in The Oval that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs would not get himself drawn into the debate Palin and her remarks.

A recent Gallup Poll shows Palin is the best known of any potential GOP presidential candidate for 2012, but lags behind Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney in terms of image.