On Monday, two teenagers killed three men at the San Diego Islamic Center, then killed themselves. What a pointless spasm of violence it was. It took a few days for The New York Times to flex its rhetorical muscles and blame conservatives.

On the top left of Thursday's front page, the headline read: "Islamophobia Spreads Fast, As Does Fear: Mosque Attack Reflects Rise in Overt Hatred."

The second paragraph from reporters Shaila Dewan and Jill Cowan was blunt: "To some, the killings seemed like an inevitable result of a swell of Islamophobia in the United States and around the globe. Anti-Muslim rhetoric on the right has become louder," spurring "a new phase of overt discrimination and fears of violence."

The words "inevitable result" do a lot of work. Conservative rhetoric will "inevitably" be blamed, but no one has to prove a causal connection. This kind of sloppy smear caused Sarah Palin to sue the Times over their suggestion that her placement of targets on congressional districts........

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