Congressman Admits 9/11 Error (Keith Ellison)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News/AP

The nation's first Muslim congressman said Tuesday that he erred in comparing the Bush administration's response to Sept. 11 to an event that led to Adolf Hitler's consolidation of power in Nazi Germany.

At an appearance before a group of atheists in Minnesota on July 8, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., called Sept. 11 "the juggernaut" that led to war, tolerating torture and increased discrimination against religious minorities.

"It's almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that," he said. "After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it and it put the leader of that country in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted."

Hitler used the 1933 burning of the Reichstag, the German parliament building, to suspend constitutional liberties.

"In hindsight, I wouldn't have used that reference point," Ellison told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday. "It was probably inappropriate to use that example, because it's a unique historical event, without really any clear parallels."


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/18/politics/main3069391.shtml

[xultar]

1. Someone got to him. It's o.k. though cuz he was right the first ime.

[truedelphi]

2. He had it right to begin with - a shame he reneged n/t

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. hope that he is not bundled off some some secret prison?

for upsetting the American people?

[Ian David]

4. The official Democratic talking point seems to be using Orwell instead of Hitler.

Most Repukes don't know who Orwell is, because it has to do with "book learnin'," so it goes over their heads.

[LeighAnn]

5. Why do they always feel compelled to "Take it back"?

Just once I'd like to see a pol with the cajones to speak the truth, then stand by it

:(

[NDN_Liberal]

8. I...

Second That.

[LeighAnn]

26. Welcome to DU, I...

Nice to have you here!
:hi:

[defendandprotect]

6. It was the first thing Putin said on 9/11 -- "The Reichstag Fire in NYC!"

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. But, but there is a lot of things similar between the Reichstag fire and 9/11.

[alkaline9]

10. if he should apologize for this comment...

...then Glenn Beck should apologize for asking this elected official, "how do we know you're not a terrorist?"

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

11. the parallels are very clear.. 911 was a false flag event. period

[youngdem]

12. Got his chain yanked

Nice to see.

:banghead:


Even if Bushco didn't know about the attack specifically, their use of the attack as a Reichstag for the US AFTER the attack is ever so similar to Hitler.

However, in all fairness, I think the Anthrax attacks were the Reichstag equivalent, because I think it is VERY clear the US government perpetrated that attack to jam the Patriot Act and Iraq War down our throats. Worked too. I say this only because it seems crystal clear our government actually was behind the Anthrax attacks, and I just believe they only knew SOMETHING was coming soon on 9/11, not the day, time or attack method.

They certainly took the opportunity to destroy our country as soon as we were attacked. Cowards.

[MetaTrope]

13. But the important thing is, his apology keeps the meme in sight

He should keep apologizing, over and over and over. And also point out that Bush was only joking when he said he wanted to be dictator (12 or 16 times).

[CJCRANE]

14. Yes, please do not mention the REICHSTAG FIRE and 9/11

in the same sentence. There should be absolutely no comparison between the REICHSTAG FIRE and 9/11.

[Solon]

23. Why not? Both were perpetuated by nutcases, and the political parties in power...

then exaggerated the threat those nutcases represented to gain more power and subvert democracy. I find them quite comparable.

[enki23]

15. actually, it's not really that historically bad...

i'm no 9/11 troofer idiot. real planes piloted by real religious whackjobs killed real people that day. period.

but... the reichstag fire wasn't set by the nazis either, contrary to the popular misconception. both 9/11 and the attack on the reichstag were real attacks by political enemies. though it's worth noting that 9/11/01 was an attack by foreign elements rather than domestic. in any case, both were events which were very purposely and cynically used by the ruling regime to consolidate power and to help justify aggressive political "reforms." further, both were used (perhaps not to quite the same extent) to justify the invasion and occupation of completely uninvolved third-party nations, in both cases intending them to be merely the first strike in an effort to completely change the political structure of an entire region.

it's not really a bad analogy, in this case. unfortunately, the analogy has been so often (mis)used it doesn't serve ones intended purpose to bring it up. unless you're just trying to shut down the conversation, that is.

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

16. "9/11 and the attack on the reichstag were real attacks by political enemies."

and you know this how?

[enki23]

17. because i read.

I don't know it with absolute certainty. However, I know there is a general consensus that the Reichstag fire was set by one man, admittedly a communist, who acted alone, and who was captured on the scene. There is evidence from internal Nazi communications at the time that the party leadership in a very real panic over their belief that an attempted communist revolution was imminent. Assuming that's the one you're referring to.

If you're referring to 9/11/01, I know what happened because I'm not an idiot, and not generally prone to jumping at wildly improbable theories even when they're offered by people who are ostensibly my political allies.

So, that's how I know, with a fairly high degree of certainty. In any case, the historical consensus about both events leaves them open to obvious analogy, however useless that analogy might be.

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

18. "I'm not an idiot"

have a nice day

[Solon]

22. The guy in question was mentally unbalanced and a pyromaniac....

One of the few times when the "lone nut" theory actually makes sense. So technically it wasn't "political enemies" but a lone nut that was conflated to include political enemies. In other words, Keith Ellison's comparison is even more apt.

[MetaTrope]

19. Don't you know the proof?

That the unsinged passport of one of the hijackers was recovered from the 600,000 tons of slagged wreckage at the World Trade Center site?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

21. and that miraculously un-damaged

document was "anonymously" handed to an FBI agent three blocks from ground zero.

yep, that's proof all right.

[lakeguy]

20. why apologize...

when you are right? geez, the repuclics dont ever apologize, even when they're wrong.

[David__77]

24. Of course they can be compared.

This is not to say Bush is Hitler, because he is not. Bush is still largely within the bounds of what has been understood to be "democracy." Hitler never, ever was, nor did he pretend to be a democrat. The comparison lies in the abuse of such a scenario to accrue political power and to subvert the established political paradigm. Honestly, though, I would hope that Democrats would similarly exploit opportunities to achieve long-term political hegemony. Bush had such a chance, but screwed it up with Iraq beyond all belief.

[Decruiter]

25. Of course it has PARALLELS!!!

[dpbrown]

27. Bullshit. It's exactly like the Reichstag fire.

Hitler's Enabling Act = Bush's U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act

Historical parallel = use terrorist/anarchist attack to manipulate public through fear to seize unlimited power and ride off into history on your war hard-on.