And excellent description of hatred on the right

"Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite so bad as it was made out. Is one's first feeling, 'Thank God, even they aren't quite so bad as that,' or is it a feeling of disappointment, and even a determination to cling to the first story for the sheer pleasure of thinking your enemies are as bad as possible? If it is the second then it is, I am afraid, the first step in a process which, if followed to the end, will make us into devils. You see, one is beginning to wish that black was a little blacker. If we give that wish its head, later on we shall wish to see grey as black, and then to see white itself as black. Finally we shall insist on seeing everything -- God and our friends and ourselves included -- as bad, and not be able to stop doing it: we shall be fixed for ever in a universe of pure hatred." (Mere Christianity) C. S. Lewis

From an excellent post from Hilzoy which begins:

I am trying to figure out what would possess Erick Erickson to write something like this:

"You only thought leftists got excited when American soldiers got killed. As I've written before, leftists celebrate each and every death of each and every American solider because they view the loss of life as a vindication of their belief that they are right."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_06/018580.php
The whole thing is worth a read. Not very long.

in fact, just the opposite. We don't cave on our core principles but we live our lives as an example and not engage. Then, and only then, can we hope to break the cycle.

I think Clinton played into it because he too took up the sword. Break the cycle and leave the crazies to expose themselves against a backdrop of reason.