Rumsfeld : Terrorists are the new Nazis? Who's he calling Nazis?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060829/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/rumsfeld_20

Fresh off the wire :

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday the world faces "a new type of fascism" and likened critics of the Bush administration's war strategy to those who tried to appease the Nazis in the 1930s.

Who's he calling Nazis? Anyone that does not agree with our foreign policy? Or people who don't agree with the Iraq war?

What do you all think? Is this guy related to Jerry Seinfeld?

Answer 1

Quite simply, the more and more people start waking up to see the corruption in government, the more the higher-up's will start to jab at the pride and dignity of American citizens, challenging their very core. However, this is just a tactic to control the minds of those under them.

I can't think of a more hurtful comparison than calling anyone the equivilent of a Nazi apologist. Since people don't want to be labeled as such, the natural reaction (they hope) will be to concede and think, "ok, well then, I don't want to be called a Nazi, so I better agree with the current administration."

Our government is so evil it makes me sick.

Answer 2

It's another tactic used to rally negative feelings from those who support the policy and the war against those who are against it, or at least feel it has been executed horrendously. To answer your first question, the Nazis are the Terrorists, and Terrorist Regimes and Cells would be the Nazi Government of 1930s Germany. People who disagree with the policy and/or war represent, in his outburst, the leaders of countries like France and Great Britain who tried to appease Hitler.

If you do not understand the history leading up to WW2, though I assume you do, you seem intelligent, leaders of European Countries believed that by letting Hitler take the Rhinelands, or Poland, or whatever, that eventually he would be appeased and stop.

Obviously that didn't happen, as Hitler had grandiose dreams of ruling all of Europe, and eventually I would argue the world, once he had enough strength to dispose of his Asian once-allies and the North Americans who were, at the time, not even appeasing the actions, simply ignoring it.

So basically anti-war arguers are equal in his argument to people appeasing Hitler pre-WW2. Of course, there are several flaws in this unthought out attack against "the evil liberals attacking our country from the inside" to paraphrase the right wing's beliefs:

Terrorists, with the exception of maybe Hezbollah in Lebanon, are not Government Regimes which are running countries and controlling their political movements. There is no single leader who is planning a world domination or anything of that sort. I dont believe any truly powerful Islamic Extremists are looking to have Radical Muslim governments come to power in France, Poland, eventually Russia, Japan, China, and then the United States.

The "appeasers" in this case are not trying to appease the terrorists by any means. Leading up to WW2, Hitler had validated arguments for taking political and military control of the regions he did. The lands had been taken at the end of the 19th Century during the Prussian wars and after WW1 he decided Germany and the German/Prussian states needed to be united. So appeasers said "Sure, okay, that sounds like a fair deal. Whatevs!" This is not equal to the situation today with terrorism or with the people criticizing our government's actions over it. Most people who criticize the government criticize the blunders made by the administration, and the sloppy execution which was used in doing what they did. Nobody believes the Terrorists have the right to go around blowing stuff up, they just dont believe we are handling it the right way and dont believe that we are necessarilly taking care of the biggest threat out there.

Answer 3

I saw that too.

Yesterday I saw a SLC based article about how Rummy has fewer and fewer supporters compared to the first months when he was "giddy" with apparent success in IRAQ.

I think all of this is just pre-emptive talking points to take some of the heat off the 5 year anniversary of 9/11.

Answer 4

When you find yourself under-attack for failed policies he go on the attack and scape goat and blame others for the failures of there problems. This whole administration has yet to stand up and admit they are wrong or made mistakes. To call some one Nazi today is desperate and uncalled for.

Answer 5

maybe he can be their fuhrer