Elevating the Dialogue

Did last night's message from Obama hit the right notes when it comes to "healing" the nation? Or did it continue to coarsen the discourse in some small way? I contend that Obama's call for more civility in the national debate subtly but deliberately perpetuates the myth that the Arizona perpetrator was somehow motivated by politics when in fact it appears he was obsessed with Representative Giffords in much the same way as Rebecca Schaeffer's murderer stalked her. There does not appear to be any connection whatsoever between politics on left or right and the actions of the lunatic responsible for slaughtering six innocent people. All in all, Obama's speech struck a chord but he need not have continued to tie politics to the assassination attempt.