A few hours ago an alleged extremist named James Wenneker von Brunn reportedly shot a security guard at the United States Holocaust Museum here in Washington, D.C. The shooter, who was himself shot by police, is reportedly in critical condition and, sadly, the security guard he shot has died.

This shooting is, of course, a terrible crime committed on sacred ground that all reasonable people should condemn.

But the left-wingers in the blogosphere and the commentariat are already claiming that because the shooter was an alleged right-wing extremist, specifically a racist neo-Nazi, Janet Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security was right to identify conservatives, libertarians, and returning veterans as potential terrorists in the controversial (and recently withdrawn) directive to law enforcement officials across the country.

This is the worst kind of smear but it’s par for the course for the left.

BarbinMD at the loathsome Daily Kos website writes

With the second rightwing political shooting in as many weeks, will the conservative media apologize for their “outrage” at the Department of Homeland Security report on “rightwing extremism”?

Predictably David Neiwert of Crooks and Liars gloats, “Anyway, it’s not like we didn’t warn that this was going to happen.”

Similarly, Andrea Nill at the Wonk Room at Think Progress writes, “Brunn’s hateful rhetoric followed by today’s violent outburst chillingly echoes a controversial warning issued by the Department of Homeland Security concerning a rise in ‘rightwing extremist activity.’”

Michelle Malkin has rounded up some other reactions from the loony left.

The reprobates at the left-wing smear site Media Matters for America must be jumping for joy at this seemingly heaven-sent opportunity to advance the progressive cause. By sheer coincidence, at the website of the journalistic equivalent of a roving, extremely well-funded death squad, left-wing hate purveyor Eric Boehlert put up a post last night called “O’Reilly and Fox News will have more right-wing vigilantism to explain.”

No doubt Boehlert’s going to get a raise from the Media Matters boss and founder serial liar David Brock. Two months ago Media Matters mocked conservatives when they raised legitimate concerns about the report.

By comparison, TPM Muckraker’s post is mild and factual. Its authors don’t seem to be trying to capitalize on today’s events.

None of this changes the fact that Napolitano’s politically motivated directive was wrong then and remains wrong now. As I wrote in an article called “Thoughtcrime Redux,” it was a malicious un-American smear calculated to ridicule and intimidate opponents of the left’s policy goals. It goes without saying that police need to be on guard against right-wing extremists, left-wing extremists, and anyone planning to carry out violent attacks. But police should not be on guard against or investigating individuals and groups solely because they don’t happen to agree with the Obama administration or the Democratic majority in Congress.

Just a few minutes before the shooting occurred I happened to be at an ACLU-sponsored meeting about reconsidering the Patriot Act and a presenter, who identified himself as a former FBI agent, denounced the DHS report for being “overbroad.” He’s right.

Meanwhile, expect the liberals’ hate fest to continue and probably intensify. The leftists may even say today’s events prove that stronger hate-crimes legislation is needed. Perhaps the attack today will serve as a new rationale for other parts of the left’s agenda too.

I would not be surprised to hear a strongly worded comment from the highest levels of government: Never let a good shooting go to waste.

Updated: Shame on me for missing this idiotic mini-rant from Andrew Sullivan, this garbage from Gawker, and this particularly shameful post from the highly overrated Matthew Yglesias of Think Progress whose pontifications are funded by the George Soros-led Democracy Alliance. (hat tip to Joseph Lawler)

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