I'd never heard the term before this manufactured controversy, but I know that language evolves, and that words and phrases change meaning over time, that definitions broaden.
Would Mrs. Palin's critics have me believe she is accusing Jews of these murders? Accusing Jews of slandering her? I mean, if we're going to be literal and apply a 2000 year-old definition, let's get to it already.
Reading the reportage of the last five days, I've seen a few key terms pop-up suddenly. Among them, "the commentariat," who seem to have started this nonsense, and "martial" vocabulary, including such suddenly charged terms as "target," and "campaign."
Sarah's critics seem to want it both ways. She's too stupid for politics, yet she's smart enough to apply an arcane term to get a subliminal dig at a group who has done her no harm, and poses no threat.