Words-Even Politicians' Words-Matter

When you are the leaders of your party, the candidates for the two highest offices in the land, what you say matters. No one who has risen in American life to those kinds of positions should have to be told that.
And yet, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin don't get it.
They are trying to get a handle on why their crowds have spent the last week screaming out that Sen. Barack Obama is a "terrorist" or "Arab" or "Moslem" or "socialist" or "off with his head" or even "kill him." McCain, in particular, seems to almost be frightened at the insane tone some of his supporters have taken in regard to Sen. Obama.
Where did all this come from?
Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin.
When you tell people that someone spends his time "palling around with terrorists" or that he is a "danger to our way of life" or that "he has put ambition over country" or that Obama and Biden would "wave a white flag of surrender in Iraq," you cannot deny responsibility for people taking those statements to heart. Unbelievably to me, somewhere around 43% of the people in this country trust you.
You have both behaved despicably. Your rhetoric has gone far beyond anything that is acceptable. Obama and Biden have criticized your policies. They have not questioned your love for our country. They have not lied about your faith. They have not attacked your friends in the clergy, and, Sen. McCain, you have hung out with John Hagee for goodness sake!
Let's take the logical step.
You both should understand that if any of your supporters decide that they need to put action to their words, you, ultimately, will be responsible for that, too.
Sober up. Look for some sort of decency. Debate all of the issues you wish. That's what elections are for. But stop lying to that segment of your cretins who don't understand about your political bullshit on who Barack Obama is.
You shouldn't want to bear the responsibility for what some of those people might do.