Barack Obama lamented “vulgar and divisive rhetoric” in American politics at a Capitol Hill luncheon in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was visiting as well, so of course Obama selfishly turned to a moralizing and hypocritical lecture on domestic politics. “[I]t’s worth asking ourselves what each of us may have done to contribute to this kind of vicious atmosphere in our politics,” he said. “I suspect that all of us can recall some intemperate words that we regret. Certainly, I can. And while some may be more to blame than others for the current climate, all of us are responsible for reversing it. … The point is, we can have political debates without turning on one another. We can disagree without assuming that it’s motivated by malice.”

We’ve heard this jeremiad about “our shared values” before, and it’s no less tiresome this time. While it’s true that Obama is almost never guilty of vulgar rhetoric, division is his modus operandi. This is a man who accused Republicans of not wanting people to have health care. Who said Republicans have common cause with Iranian terrorists. Who lectured Christians for the Crusades. Who once told his supporters, “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” Who is a disciple of Saul Alinksy’s politics of personal destruction and the “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright’s racial hatred and Marxism. If this were accompanied by a fundamental transformation on Obama’s part, we’d be happy to listen. But it’s just one more display of demagoguery and chutzpah.