Tragic Rhetoric?

Today should be our first column spotlighting the Sunday talk shows, but all the shows have focused on the tragedy that took place yesterday in Arizona. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was holding a public event at a Tuscon Safeway when 22 year old Jarod Lee Loughner shot her in the head, injured 19 others, and killed 6. Police are still searching for a possible accomplice.

Although the suspect is obviously unstable, no motive was clear from the outset. Several prominent officials have blamed the tone of the political debate in Washington as a contributing factor. Arizona has been a hot bed for controversy. It has been the center of the debate over immigration, and President Obama remains unpopular.

We should, however, be careful not to blame Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. It is true that Palin "targeted" Giffords district, going so far as to put cross-hairs over a map of Arizona, but the only person responsible for Mr. Loughner's actions are Mr. Loughner.

This country has a complicated history with political violence, we were created from a war of revolution, and that is part of our national identity. From Lincoln and Kennedy to John Brown and Tim McViegh, when we see the government acting in ways in which we disapprove, violence (and violent imagery) seems an all to easy answer. So when we see violence against elected officials, it becomes easy to blame the rhetoric.