Sarah Palin defends 'shuck and jive shtick' to those who find it racially offensive

By Mark Heim | mheim@al.com al.comon October 26, 2012 at 12:01 AM, updated October 26, 2012 at 12:33 AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has come under fire for her use of "shuck and jive." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sarah Palin defended her Facebook post Wednesday when she used what many thought was a racially charged term to criticize the White House's response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the American consulate in Benghazi.

Palins Facebook statement reads in part:

"Why the lies? Why the cover up? Why the dissembling about the cause of the murder of our ambassador on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil? We deserve answers to this. President Obama's shuck and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end."

Many commentators including The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg said it was a "racist dog whistle"and Keith Olbermann referred to it as a "racially demeaning phrase."

Palin, however, didn't back down from her claims later Wednesday.

I would have used the exact same expression if I had been writing about President Carter, whose foreign policy rivaled Obamas in its ineptitude, or about the Nixon administration, which was also famously rocked by a cover-up,Palin wrote on Facebookon Wednesday night.

Palin went on to cite examples of other who have used the term, such as White House Press Secretary Chris Matthews and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to politico.com.