Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the assistant minority leader, is facing mounting criticism for recent comments he made comparing U.S. treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to inhumane tactics used in Nazi, Soviet and Cambodian concentration camps.
Durbin subsequently said he regretted that his comments were misunderstood as criticism of U.S. troops. But Republicans have continued to call for a more forthright apology...
Classic winger spin: the entire focus is now on the comparison, not the content. The charges themselves have taken a back seat. The right has managed not to have to defend torture by making it a "you insulted the holy and sacred TROOPS" issue.
This illustrates the underlying principle of Godwin's Law. Nazi analogies have been so overused that, on the rare occasion it may be justified, the impact is lost and the word itself becomes the issue. So to some extent Durbin set himself up.
Politics
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