In 2012 Obama will hope that his polarizing politics, coupled with calls for bipartisanship, will trump his unpopular record.

In some ways, the most embarrassing demagoguery came from the secretary of state. While in Abu Dhabi, Mrs. Clinton — in a rather shameful sort of moral equivalence — apparently intended to impress her hosts and score political points at the same time. So without any evidence, she labeled Loughner an "extremist," in a general call to quell political violence both in and outside the United States.