George Bush and his father both loved comparing Saddam Hussein to Hitler. Such comparisons are tempting when you really want to vilify someone – Hitler was one of histories worst butchers. Such comparisons are also severely over-used and have the tendency to insult the memory of the millions Hitler destroyed and trivialize the real horror of fascist world domination. You don’t have to think about it very long to realize that Saddam, ruling a tiny country devastated by sanctions, constant US bombing raids, etc. isn’t analogous to Hitler. But it got us thinking about a few other comparisons, which show how a militarized state apparatus functions in frightenly similar ways across history and around the world. With apologies to good taste, please enjoy the following:
| George Bush | Saddam Hussein |
Adolph Hitler |
|
| Used or seeks to use military force preemptively? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mustache? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Uses/used military adventures to distract from domestic economic problems? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wields or attempted to develop weapons of mass destruction? | No | No | Yes |
| Narcotics Used | Cocaine | ? | Speed |
| Imprisons(ed) state enemies without trial justifying it as necessary to preserve national security | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gender | Male | Male | Male |
| Stages(ed) "terrorist" attacks on significant landmark building later used to justify domestic crackdown? | Maybe | ? | Yes |
| Uses (used) nationalistic frenzy/images/propaganda to justify blood bath. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capable of full spectrum dominance | Yes | No | No |
| Kinky Sexual acts? | Not Likely! | ? | Yes |