Rhetoric Doesn't Kill but Does Cause Harm
Karen Hughes writes:
U.S. support for Israel, along with the suffering of the Palestinian people, they told me, had spawned the resentment and anger that resulted in the attacks on our country.
No, I always answered, you cannot blame the murder of innocent people on any grievance, no matter how legitimate. The only organization and people responsible for Sept. 11 are al-Qaeda and the 19 hijackers who carried out its murderous mission.
I've been reminded of that argument as I've listened to attempts to blame the alleged murderous acts of a twisted young man in Tucson on the tenor of America's political debate. No, you cannot blame this violence on the shrill voices of politicians and pundits - from the right or the left.
And yet, as President Obama deftly reminded us in his speech on Wednesday night, times of tragedy can become times of national examination. And America needs some soul-searching.
Unlike the spirit of unity that emerged in the aftermath of Sept. 11, the reaction tothe tragedy in Tucson seems to have only deepened the chasm in our sharply divided country. We haven't come together to support the victims and condemn this assault on a bedrock of our political system: the right of citizens to assemble and question their public officials. Instead, our national conversation has devolved into accusations about whom, other than the murderer himself, might be responsible.
I am deeply concerned about the anger and intolerance in our politics and the lack of respect for different points of view. This is taking place not only between the left and the right, and Republicans and Democrats, but among members of my own party.
