After all of the accusations against conservatives for supposedly causing or inspiring the Tucson shooting, it's a bit disappointing to see this buried in the 43rd paragraph of a New York Times story yesterday.

He became intrigued by antigovernment conspiracy theories, including that the Sept. 11 attacks were perpetrated by the government and that the country’s central banking system was enslaving its citizens. His anger would well up at the sight of President George W. Bush, or in discussing what he considered to be the nefarious designs of government.

Fortunately, the revelation is receiving plenty of attention because of a Drudge Report link. But now that we know this, should we start blaming the angry left of the Bush era for Loughner's paranoid behavior? That might be the reaction of Paul Krugman, who wrote that conservatives own the lion's share of vitriol, and who shamelessly took advantage of the Tucson tragedy to score a cheap point against those with whom he disagrees. But it would be completely unfair and inappropriate.