Joe Scarborough's rebuke this morning of Sarah Palin's past rhetoric and imagery doesn't come as a surprise, but Pat Buchanan's call for Palin (and other politicians) to be more careful might raise a few eyebrows.
SCARBOROUGH: So Pat, is this not a time for people like Sarah Palin who have used violent imagery -- she just has -- I know some of my conservative friends and family members won't like that reality or Michele Bachmann, who says she wants Minnesotans "armed and dangerous."
Isn't this an opportune time for them to apologize -- not saying that it led to anything -- but just to say that they were irresponsible in their rhetoric and they're going to be more careful, moving forward?
BUCHANAN: Well, I certainly think that, when you talk about moving forward, they ought to be more careful.
But I do think it is the effort to sort of draw in Sarah palin or Michele Bachmann into something that is a real tragedy, when what we're hearing out of Arizona is it had absolutely nothing to do with this individual who, for some reason, is obsessing...
SCARBOROUGH [interrupting] .... Pat, I think we established earlier that most of us around this table believe he's mentally-disturbed. I'm just saying, though, if -- I mean, G--, you've worked for two presidents -- would you not be in there if you were working for Sarah Palin right now, saying "Go out and say it had nothing to do with this shooting, but that you understand that it was irresponsible and you're going to be more careful moving forward."
Wouldn't you give her that advice, if you were her aide?
BUCHANAN: Well, I certainly would. I'd give everybody the advice to tone down the rhetoric and to get away from the military or the armed metaphors.
