WaPo's Marcus on Rick Perry: 'He's Like Monty Python's Parrot - He's Not Dead Yet'

Remember all that talk about returning civility to political discussions following Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' (D-Ariz.) shooting in January?

Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus clearly doesn't, for on ABC's This Week Sunday, she said of Texas governor Rick Perry's presidential candidacy, "He's like Monty Python's parrot - he's not dead yet" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: But whether it's a referendum on the president or not, do you think that the candidate will be Romney? Or do you think it'll be Perry?

MARY MATALIN: George makes a very good point. We are in a very sliver of a phase here on the debates. If you go to the states, go to the board, you go to Perry's other strengths. He's raised over $17 million in under 50 days. You go to Iowa, South Carolina. He has very strong on-the-ground operations. He has state senators, state reps, county chairmen. He has Christie supporters, Romney supporter, former Romney, Pawlenty supporters. He's solid on the ground in all the states. Even in New Hampshire, he's got the former GOP state chairman.

JONATHAN KARL, ABC: Yeah, I mean, there's this sense that Perry is done, that this is all inevitable.

MATALIN: No way.

KARL: Certainly the White House believes that. The White House is going at Romney right now. And watch this. They will do this, because it's an unfair fight right now. Romney is defending himself against these attacks from his Republican opponents. The White House sees this as the time to define Romney, but it's crazy to count out Perry. He's got more money in the bank right now than Romney. He's got far more organization than Herman Cain. The national polls don't mean anything. In those early states, with the exception of New Hampshire, he's looking strong. So we'll see.

RUTH MARCUS, WASHINGTON POST: I'm sorry. Go ahead.

AMANPOUR: No, go ahead.

MARCUS: Perry, I agree. He's like Monty Python's parrot - he's not dead yet, and for all the reasons that you said.

For those not getting the joke, one of Monty Python's famous sketches from the '70s was a man trying to return a dead parrot to a pet shop while the owner of the store humorously insists the bird is just "pining for the fjords."

Comedy aside, would Marcus make such a joke or it be considered acceptable if directed at a Democratic candidate for president?

Wasn't this exactly the kind of talk liberal media members like Marcus were apoplectic about in the weeks following the Giffords shooting?

Why is it acceptable when said of a conservative?