Yesterday, we and numerous others slammed GOP Rep. Mark Kirk for saying that Illinoisans "are ready to shoot anyone" who pushes an income tax increase along the lines of what Gov. Quinn is proposing.  In the 24 hours since, Fox Chicago posted the full video of Kirk's remarks and it's worth noting that the comment came amid a metaphor about soldiers storming machine gun nests. Watch it and judge for yourself (the relevant portion begins at the 2:05 mark):

KIRK: I think that the decision to raise taxes by 50 percent in Illinois is political suicide. It's sort of like, in the Navy, when you see a guy charge a machine gun nest, you say he's the bravest guy in the world right until he got shot.  And I think the people of Illinois are ready to shoot anyone who is going to raise taxes by that degree.

So his assertion that Illinoisans are "ready to shoot" Quinn didn't just come out of the blue, as the original Tribune report suggested.  That doesn't change the fact that the underlying imagery is violent and plain unnecessary.  It's also in now way a "political term of art," as he told WBEZ yesterday.

Furthermore, it's kind of a strange metaphor for him to use in the context of the income tax debate because it both suggests that: A) Quinn's effort to raise revenue is valiant and B) he is "brave" (though politically stupid) for doing it.  Is that the message Kirk means to be sending?