Mensch tracht, und Gott lacht

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Byrd Gets the Anti-Defamation League's Goat

Did you like that Homnickian headline? On with the story. Ultra-senior Democrat Senator from West Virginia Robert Byrd made big headlines when he compared Republican tactics on judicial nominations to those employed by Adolf Hitler in Germany.

We'll see whether similarly large headlines are made by the Anti-Defamation League's harsh criticism of Byrd for having absolutely no sense of proportion. Here's the ADL statement:

It is hideous, outrageous and offensive for Senator Byrd to suggest that the Republican Party's tactics could in any way resemble those of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

The Senator shows a profound lack of understanding as to who Hitler was and what he and his regime represented.


Senator Byrd must repudiate his remarks immediately and apologize to the American people for showing such disrespect for this country's democratic process.

2 comments:

Jay D. Homnick said...

Some alternate headlines:

ADL-pated Byrd Set Straight
Byrd Gets His Due
Byrd Handed: "Too In Bush's Face"

But the best is the least funny:

ADL: Ex-Klansman Too Soft On Hitler

Jim said...

Hitler was bad, Hitler was evil. But Hitler was one of the most important political figures of the 20th century. Are we not supposed to learn from history so as not to repeat it?

Did Hitler kill 6 million Jews and 30 million others? Yes. How did that happen? Dare we not whisper his name?

I believe Senator Byrd was comparing the way the leaders of the Third Reich usurped the rule of law to the way some of today's leaders are willing to usurp the rule of law to achieve their goals.

Is it an apt comparison? Maybe, maybe not. But it is interesting and a valid point of discussion. To compare someone to Hitler or to something Hitler did is not to accuse them of atrocities.

To compare you to President Bush is not to accuse you of being an alcohol abuser, an ineffective business man, or a shirker of military duty. It could be comparing you to a strong leader with bold vision.