Did you ever get the feeling that the heads of politicians of both parties, of liberals and conservatives, are made of a substance akin to hallowed out wood?
TRENTON, N.J. – Congressman Frank LoBiondo apologized for suggesting that Guantanamo Bay detainees were worse than Adolf Hitler because the Nazi dictator “sort of had a political rationale about what he was doing.”
The New Jersey Republican made the remark on a radio talk show this past week, describing his recent visit to the Naval Base in Cuba. Muslim terrorists, he said, were more evil than Hitler.
“Hitler, in his philosophy, was, you know, he hated Jews, he was murdering Jews, and there were some people he liked. But he never went to the level that these people are going to,” LoBiondo said.
A caller objected to the statement only a few minutes later.
“You’re right. You’re right. I was wrong. I should not have used that and I apologize,” LoBiondo responded.
He told The Press of Atlantic City that the comparison was a bad one.
“I was trying to make a point about a terrible group,” he said in Saturday’s editions. “If I had a string, I would have taken it back immediately.”
Do these politicos need a special course with booklets, videos and written tests to banish the Nazi stuff from their lingo? Each time a politician uses it to raise a point he/she/it gets bitten in the you-know-what. The reality is (a)the Nazis were in a (de)class by themselves in world history (b)the current terroristfascists are carving out their own merciless niche in world history.
In this case he is talking about the tactics they use. Most commonly, though, a Democrat or Republican gets mad at the other party for something and out comes the talk about Hitler and the Nazis. Those pronouncements are usually the product of uncontrolled (and unwise) partisan anger. In this case, he was trying to describe the degree of mercilessness — but he should have known better.
Using a Nazi comparison these days is as wise as inviting a suicide bomber to a bar mitzvah.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.