Interesting in its comparisons, but I thought rather difficult to read through -- and that is not a sign of good journalism by any means. Some people will hate this article, or love it, for political reasons but as journalism it seems somewhat weak.

While I share the author's concerns, and greatly appreciate the quote from Madison at the end of the piece; the comparison to the Nazi's seems extreme to me. I get the concept that we are acting like sheep and therefore in a similar state as the German citizens of the 1930's. Other comparisons to the Nazi's seems overreaching. The concerns raised by the piece seem otherwise reasonable.

The historical perspective that a cowardly opposition in the legislature of Germany was critical to the rise of totalitarian power given to Hitler provides a sick feeling about the cowardice in the leadership of our current US congressional leadership. The article is informative and an alarm call.

The article makes an essential point about how our democracy is being dismantled, brick by brick, and how that is far more dangerous than a cataclysmic takeover. The analogy to the substance of what happened in Germany is most apt. For an analogy to be true, it is not necessary that each event or each fact have an exact parallel,

While I agree the article should be more coherently edited to make its excellent points sooner and more effectively, let me make one thing clear (Soapbox Time): Anyone who defensively denies the truth of the obvious parallels between the fear-based, 'anti-Bolshevik' fanaticism in National-Sozialist (=Nazi) Germany and the terrorism hysteria in neo-conservative America is woefully, willfully uninformed about world history and in irrational denial about the basic truth that underlies humans’ Us vs. Them psychology. The human beings who shrieked "Sieg Heil" and committed atrocities under Hitler (and Stalin and every other nationalistic, would-be dictator) belong to the same human race that just burned down a house of worship ... More »

Thanks are due Ray McGovern for reminding us "that in February 2001 [NSA director] Hayden saluted smartly when the Bush administration instructed NSA to suborn AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest to spy illegally on you, me, and other Americans. Bear in mind that this would have had nothing to do with terrorism, which did not really appear on the new administration's radar screen until a week before 9/11" Germans would have remained loyal to Hitler, despite his brutalities on the home front, if he hadn't tried to conquer the world. Sadly, Americans don't seem so different.

This piece has zero journalistic merit. The author vents his personal prejudices without any knowledge of history. My father was a newspaper editor in Berlin in 1933. He witnessed the events, and the New York Times Magazine featured an article by him on the 25th anniversary of the events. There is no comparison whatsoever between then and now. President Bush does not have storm troopers running through the streets. Historians consider him more responsible with regard to civil liberties than any other wartime President, far, far better than FDR, Wilson or Lincoln. The public has no constraints on its free speech today, unlike then. Also, the Nazis did have 44% of the vote in the Reichstag as the author mentions, but the rest was ... More »

This is a pretty good article. There are some striking parallels between Nazi Germany and the Bush administration. It is true that we have not and hopefully will not fall to the depths of Germany but every right abridged, every scare tactic touted is another step in the direction of fascism. Our freedoms have a price and that price includes some danger. We can never be safer by being less free, and we should not trust the government to have the best interests of the masses at heart. There is not a jack booted thug army in the streets yet but Blackwater is probably negotiating for the contract. Our vigilance is crucial to our democracy.

This is a repeat of paranoid Bush=Hitler stories that the public (and I) are weary of. The bottom line is Bush will peacefully leave power in January, 2009 which will lay these rantings to rest and render those who write them as the half-wits they are. McGovern will regret this story in a little over one year.

The Bush-Hitler analogy is an insult to all Americans. McGovern's article isn't journalism -- it's opinion, pure and simple.