The Machinery of Night

Posted 3:40 PM by Angie Schultz

Peter Mehlman: At Least Hitler Meant Well

Well, this was inevitable. Peter Mehlman, most famous for being co-executive producer for Seinfeld[*], argues that at least Hitler (and other dictators) meant well, unlike Bush:

You could argue that even the world's worst fascist dictators at least meant well. They honestly thought were doing good things for their countries by suppressing blacks/eliminating Jews/eradicating free enterprise/repressing individual thought/killing off rivals/invading neighbors, etc. Only the Saudi royal family is driven by the same motives as Bush, but they were already entrenched. Bush set a new precedent. He came into office with the attitude of "I'm so tired of the public good. What about my good? What about my rich friends' good?"

How can anyone not see it? It's not that their policies have been misguided or haven't played out right. They. Don't. Even. Mean. Well.

I have long been used to "progressives" saying things like, "At least the Soviets meant well" -- they wanted to create a New World populated with New Men who were above greed and ambition and all those nasty things. Sadly, they had all those pesky "old" Men (i.e., homo sapiens) standing in their way.

But right after September 11, I thought it would be impossible for them to justify Bin Laden; after all, his aim was to force all Muslims (and quite a number of other people) to live under a 7th-century religious code that was notable for being unfriendly to women, gays, and freedom in general. But, no! When it came down to a choice between excusing Bin Laden or supporting George Bush, they found it was no choice at all: Bush unter alles!

Hitler has been the ne plus ultra, the gold standard, of evil. Surely, even those who excuse Bin Laden, who march in the streets carrying signs reading "Bush=Hitler", can't possibly sink any lower? Surely they can't now excuse Hitler?

Thanks, Pete, for demonstrating how low you can go. Got any relatives spinning in their mass graves?

[*]A series which contained only trace amounts of humor. If your doctor prescribes a low-humor diet, ask him if Seinfeld is right for you.