So I keep looking at the Geraghty column at NRO. It really is apalling stuff.

Geragthy writes,

Suppose the U.S. and another country were in a trade dispute. The other country would want different policies, and thus would want the incumbent party out of power. So they would seize on any criticism from the challenging party, and use it for rhetorical purposes to strengthen their case both with their own population and in other countries. “Even the American challenging party says the incumbent leader’s policies are unfair and a failure.” No party wants to be seen as putting foreign interests ahead of their own citizens’ interests, so they have to be on guard that their arguments aren’t providing fodder for foreign powers with different interests than America.

Over the last three years or so, we have seen that concept obliterated. We’ve seen a truly unparalleled deluge of criticism of the president that well beyond policy differences. He is tarred as a war criminal, a fool, an idiot, a warmonger, a man who trades blood for oil, a mass murderer of innocent civilians, a stooge of sinister corporate interests, a puppet of Cheney, a terrorist himself, the anti-Christ, the second coming of Hitler, a slave to Ariel Sharon, an anti-Muslim hatemonger… and I’m sure I’ve left out plenty.

This rhetoric has been picked up by ... anti-American interests around the globe.

In passing, let me mention the double standard here. Nobody in the mainstream left called Bush a war criminal, a mass murderer, a terrorist, the anti-Christ and so on. Many on the mainstream left, including myself, have called Bush a fool, an idiot, and a stooge for corporate interests, considerably milder than the incendiary list Geraghty sites. By contrast, many on the mainstream right have referred to Kerry as treasonous, as someone who aided the enemy and hurt U.S. troops.

More important, though, is that Geraghty makes a prototypical fascist statement. Its not the first coming from the right. But if we agree that the statement {criticism of the govermnent is wrong because it helps the enemy} is fascist, its difficult to see how this is not a fascist argument.