This was the headline in today's Journal:

Obama's speech Wins Over Critics

And the lede [emphasis added]:

President Barack Obama's speech at a service for the Arizona shooting victims came amid an effort to recast himself as a unifying figure, after two years of partisan fights.

Soon after he left the podium, it was clear he had taken another step in that direction.

On Thursday, the speech won praise from a vast swath of the political spectrum, including Democrats who have criticized Mr. Obama as insufficiently liberal and possible Republican challengers in 2012, among them former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Some commentators who have spent two years criticizing the president were lavish with their praise. Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer said he “wouldn't underestimate how this is going to affect the perception of the president.”

All of that is true. But it's only half the story. Yes, scores of prominent conservative pundits praised Obama's speech at the Tucson memorial service. But at the same time there was, within the conservative media movement, an unhinged an at times hysterically negative reaction to Obama's speech, and the Beltway press should not ignore that unsightly phenomena.

The press should not ignore the fact that a Jim Hoft, who is viewed as one of the most influential right-wing bloggers in America, immediately (and incredibly) launched a bogus smear campaign suggesting Obama had lied when he announced at the memorial service that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had, that day, opened her eyes for the first time since surviving the assassination attempt on her life.

The press should not ignore the fact that Michelle Malkin, also viewed as a right-wing primetime player, immediately (and incredibly) launched a bogus smear campaign suggesting the Obama administration had tastelessly tried to “brand” the memorial service by handing out T-shirts. (Fact: The administration had nothing to do with the T-shirts.)

And no, the press should not ignore the fact that Andrew Breitbart, that shining beacon of the right-wing blogosphere, immediately blamed Obama for death threats Sarah Palin has received.

It's true, as the Journal reported, Obama's speech won over some of his critics. But there was also an entire online subculture of conservative voices who despised his speech and set off on wild and reckless smear campaigns in its wake. That's news, too.