Don't Fan the Flames— We'll All Get Burned

America's white-hot political rage is a national problem, not a partisan one—and if we're not careful, we'll all get burned. The Democrats are right to call attention to threats to lawmakers but they shouldn't treat this as a political opportunity, writes Peggy Noonan for the Wall Street Journal. "The truth is this sickness works both ways," she says. The country is in a dangerous place.

If America today is a busy, highly politicized beehive, then Washington's first priority must be to stop poking it with a stick. "Responsible leaders on all levels of American life ought to stop, breathe in, and see the level of anger and agitation that's rippling through the country." The roots of the anger run deep and the problems can't be fixed in a year, or a decade, Noonan writes. What we can—and must—do, for now, is lower the temperature.

(More partisanship stories.)