Those who purport to care about the tenor of political discourse don't help civil debate when they seize on any pretext to call their political opponents accomplices to murder.

Not to single out anyone in particular on this message board, but more particularly comments from those on the left like Paul Krugman who writes that the Tea Party is at fault because they've created a "climate of hate."

Of course, back during the '08 campaign when Obama emoted "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun"-- it's just evidence of high spirits, but when Republicans do it ("lock and load") it somehow creates a climate of hate.

Shortly after November's defeat for the Dems, pollster Mark Penn appeared on Chris Matthew's TV show and remarked what Obama needed was another Oklahoma City to reconnect with the American people. To judge from the reactions to Saturday's events, many on the left agree, and for a while hoped that Jared Loughner's killing spree might fit the bill.