Al Gore Compares Bush, by Implication, with Hitler & Stalin

The day before first reports of Cheney's alleged indiscretion, his Democratic predecessor, Al Gore, delivered a speech in which he publicly spoke of the administration establishing a ``Bush Gulag'' around the world and using ``digital Brown Shirts'' to intimidate the media. The former vice president of the United States compares the current president to both Hitler and Stalin in the same speech -- a first not just in hyperbole but in calumny -- and nary a complaint is heard about a breach of civility.

If you suspect that this selective indignation might be partisan, you guessed right. But here's an even more important question. In the face of Gore's recent breach of civil political discourse, which of the following is the right corrective: (a) offer a reasoned refutation of the charge that George Bush is both Stalinist and Hitlerian; (b) suggest an increase in Gore's medication; or (c) do a Cheney.

The correct answer is (c). And given the circumstances, go for the deuce.