[swordfishtrombone]

In a 1977 column, Buchanan said that despite Hitler’s anti-Semitic and genocidal tendencies, he was “an individual of great courage...Hitler’s success was not based on his extraordinary gifts alone. His genius was an intuitive sense of the mushiness, the character flaws, the weakness masquerading as morality that was in the hearts of the statesmen who stood in his path.” (The Guardian, 1/14/92)

Shocker.

[cothrige]

I have read this quote from Buchanan before, and just as then I am again forced to wonder just what he said that was so awful. Of course Hitler had a genius for manipulation and seeing how to motivate people and how best to take advantage of them. Why do people think recognizing this means that one also agrees with what Hitler did or believed?

[budwiesest]

His genius was an intuitive sense of the mushiness, the character flaws, the weakness masquerading as morality that was in the hearts of the statesmen who stood in his path.”

This is applicable in the middle east today. Paper tiger, anyone? Bin Laden would have given us much more respect had we wiped-out portions of Afganistan, making them uninhabitable for many years.

This foe (a foe of Israel too) will require a regular knocking back on it's heels for some time. Displaying no weakness or mushiness will be interpreted as strength, as it should be. Pat's theory makes sense, his bias doesn't.

[Enchante]

"an intuitive sense of the mushiness, the character flaws, the weakness masquerading as morality that was in the hearts of the statesmen who stood in his path."

When it comes to evaluating Israel and the Paleo-Nazis, these words fit Pat Buchanan perfectly as an observation about HIS mushiness, character flaws, etc. If he cannot see that Israelis are overwhelmingly the "good guys" in this scenario then he is depraved.

Every time I try to believe the people who say that Pat Buchanan is not anti-semitic I am brought up short by some of his vicious statements against Israel.