Remember when liberals blamed Sarah Palin’s rhetoric for the shooting Rep. Gabbie Giffords, D-Ariz.? Hold that thought, and consider that MSNBC’s Chris Matthews developed a sustained allusion to Goethe’s Faust in order to call Newt Gingrich a “false god of hatred” and a “devil” sent by the Republican primary voters to “kill” President Obama.

“Why are [Republicans] on the verge of enlisting in the Army of Newt?” Matthews asked rhetorically last night. “Because he voices in cold, nasty, deadly tones the words of their contempt. Because he an opportunist ready to seek any route to his opponent’s heart and thereby kill it.  He is a political killer, a gun for hire.”