There are so many ways to lie for the truly creative liar

I hope you have been following the latest developments on the Mifta-affair at EOZ. As you will recall, Hanan Ashrawi's Miftah published an essay--in Arabic and over Passover--berating Obama for holding a Passover-seder ("Does Obama in fact know the relationship, for example, between 'Passover' and 'Christian blood' ..?!"). The indefatigable Elder of Ziyon pointed it out, only to be subjected to a thoroughly dishonest counter-attack as the essay was hastily deleted. Why, the offending essay was only published in the interests of free debate, and it only "briefly addressed" the blood-libel, and Miftah is being subjected to a "smear campaign," and it was only removed to "avoid misunderstanding."

Further bad publicity for Miftah and its many respectable enablers ensued, and now suddenly Miftah appears as contrite, newly appreciative of the "disgusting and repulsive phenomena of blood libel or accusation" and ready with the helpful explanation that "the article was accidentally and incorrectly published by a junior staff member." What emerges from all this, I hope you notice, is Miftah's subtle, many-hued, seemingly inexhaustible ability to vary its lying strategy. (The blood libel of the original article, let us recall, is a lie to begin with in the service of Israel-bashing propaganda.) Hats off to Hanan--you have to admire the virtuosity of it all.