Olberman Speaks!

Seldom have we been treated to a more satisfying performance than that of Keith Olberman last evening. In his closing segment, Keith addressed Rumsfeld's speech to the American Legion in which the Secretary "impugn(ed) the morality or intelligence -- indeed, the loyalty -- of the majority of Americans". Rumsfeld went on to assert that our nation faces a new type of Fascism and to invoke the memory of the appeasement of the Nazis.

The irony of his statement is stark and glaring. This new Fascism he speaks of is a product of his own administration. As it has been understood since its debut in Italy prior to World War II, Fascism is the merging of Government and Corporations. More than any previous administration, Bush and company exemplify this model of government. Yet, Bush, Cheney, Rummy and Condi are currently in the midst of a PR blitz to equate Fascism with the war on terror through the constant repetition of the phrase “Islamo-fascist”.

This effort to equate Islam with Fascism is an exercise in deceptive branding that this administration has used repeatedly in the past. It is analogous to the “Clear Skies” program which increased the level of air pollution or the “Healthy Forests Initiative” which should be called “Leave no tree behind”.

Importantly, by labeling Middle Eastern radicals as Islamo-Fascists they are attempting to redefine the term to be less relevant to the form of government they have instituted. Fascism was coined by the Italian dictator, Mussolini in the 1930’s. In fact, he said it could be more accurately referred to as Corporatism. Under the Bush White House we have seen drastic increases in the number of corporate lobbyists, the amount of legislation written by corporations for corporate benefit, federal judges with a history of corporate friendly decisions and in the use of the revolving door policy between legislators and lobbyists.

It is undeniable that the Bush administration has been complicit in the corporate infiltration of government and the introduction of fascism into their governance of the country. It is also undeniable that these same corporations are notorious for their appeasement of the Nazis before, during and after World War II. Bush’s own grandfather, as managing director for Brown Brothers Harriman, was cited under the “Trading with the Enemy” act in 1942. Standard Oil (now Exxon-Mobile) , General Motors, Ford, ITT, J.P. Morgan, Guaranty Trust of New York, Bank of the City of New York, Chase National Bank and American Express were all engaged in support for the Nazis throughout the war.

The corporations most responsible not just for appeasement, but for materially and financially supporting the rise of Fascism and Nazism in Europe, are the corporations with the greatest influence in the Bush White House today. Much of the wealth of the Bush family came from the profiteering they engaged in with the enemy while our troops were engaged in battle with the same enemy.

So, Secretary Rumsfeld is correct when he says we are facing a new type of Fascism, but he lies when he attributes it to Islamic radicals. The Fascists we should most fear are the ones occupying the White House.