As Barb pointed out earlier, Sarah Palin's web video on the Arizona shootings contained a clear warning: criticism of conservative rhetoric will result in violence.
But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn.
Given that Palin read her commentary from a TelePrompter, her words were no simple slip of the tongue. Moreover, she issued a similar threat on Monday:
Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror and violence.
In both of these statements, Palin outlined a simple scenario of cause and effect: if she or people like her are accused of inciting violence, the result will be violence. Her language was unambiguous. The only question is whether you call it a threat or a warning.