corrente

That would be "the F word"—fascism.

The Republicans seem to get all twitchy and defensive whenever it's used for analytical purposes. I wonder why?

Let's look at the latest: what Manhattan Judge Calabresi said. He's 71 years old and therefore old enough, unlike most of the winger ideologues and their millionaire MWs, to have some historical perspective:

"In a way that occurred before but is rare in the United States ... somebody [Bush] came to power as a result of the illegitimate acts of a legitimate institution that had the right to put somebody in power," Calabresi said. "The reason I emphasize that is because that is exactly what happened when Mussolini was put in by the king of Italy.

"The King of Italy had the right to put Mussolini in, though he had not won an election, and make him prime minister," the judge continued. "That is what happened when Hindenburg put Hitler in."

Calabresi told the lawyers: "I am not suggesting for a moment that Bush is Hitler. I want to be clear on that, but it is a situation which is extremely unusual."

So far, this analysis is entirely unexceptional. What has Calebresi said here that is not useful, insightful, and instructive? Nothing. Here at Corrente, we've been saying for some time that the rise of the National Socialism could provide a useful historical perspective to the seizure of power by the Bush administration (back here). So it's good to see that this analysis is becoming mainstream.

Here, however, is where Calabresi did step over the line (assuming, of course, that the line has not already been erased by the Republican boot):

Calabresi went on to say the public should expel Bush from office to cleanse the democratic system. "That's got nothing to do with the politics of it. It's got to do with the structural reassertion of democracy," Calabresi was quoted saying.

In his letter of apology, Calabresi said he was "deeply sorry" for remarks that were meant as "a rather complicated academic argument about the nature of re-elections after highly contested original elections" -- but that were "too easily taken as partisan."

"That is something which judges should do their best to avoid, and there, I clearly failed," he wrote.
(via CNN)

Of course, it is a little sad, and more than a little absurd, to see a judge admonished for partisan activity after the Supreme Court gave Bush a "good for one day only" free pass to the office He now occupies, in Bush v. Gore.

But nevertheless, it's good to see Calabresi upholding the rules—"the structural reassertion of democracy"—as well as his boss upholding the rules—judges shouldn't tell peple how to vote.

But watch for the wingers to use the F word as a club to prevent serious analysis of the nature of the regime they've put in place, and to make it appear that Calabresi, in apologizing for crossing a line into partisan politics, was apologizing for drawing attention to the disturbing parallels between the Bush administration and the fascist movements of the '30s. He wasn't.

NOTE For further study, be sure to read Orcinus on Rush, Newspeak, and Fascism.

TROLL PROPHYLACTIC Calabresi didn't say that "Bush is Hitler." Neither did I.