Sarah Palin's infamous "blood libel" video reacting to the Arizona shooting caused no small amount of controversy. Now, New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman reports that Palin was even warned against making the video by Fox News CEO Roger Ailes--and that her decision to do so anyway has left a rift between the two.
Palin's video came days after the shooting, during a time when people had wondered why she had made no extended public statement about the tragedy and when some were citing her "crosshairs" map as an example of extreme political imagery that was contributing to a violent national climate. Palin was reacting to the latter when she accused journalists of "manufacturing a blood libel" by, in her view, charging her as complicit in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
According to Sherman, though, Palin called Ailes before making the video. She complained that the media were blaming her for the shooting, and expressed a desire to respond to her critics. Ailes said that would be a bad idea.
"Lie low," he said. "There's no need to inject yourself into the story." Sherman writes that Palin said her lawyer and other confidantes had given her the same advice. Of course, she didn't follow that advice, and made the video. Ailes was not happy.
To read Sherman's full report, including what the rift between Ailes and Palin means for her potential 2012 political ambitions, click here.