Quotation

Gelwan at Follow Me Here posts a link to Kos quoting an important historical figure about “the big lie” (a term we’ve seen a lot of in relation to the Swift Boat Vets ad, a perfect example of the Bush team’s baldfaced style), and challenges us to guess who it is. As a statement, it could definitely describe our current election, except that it talks about “the masses” and “nations” in ways that place it firmly in the mid-to-early 20th century.

It sounds a little like Orwell, who’s always been one to go on about lies and truth (Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia….), but it’s too contemptuous of the “common people.” I thought Mencken, because he’s always been snide about the little guy, but it turned out to be Hitler.

It’s not clear what putative lies and liars are referred to in that passage, but I can tell you this: once HItler comes into it, all useful debate has ceased. So, best to look at that statement as long as you can before thinking about who said it, because once you start in on what’s implied by the choice of source material, you’re lost in rhetoric and noise.