Buchanan: Chamberlain Was Right!

From One Jerusalem:

Hitler, Buchanan, and Bush

In a provocatively titled column, Bush Plays The Hitler Card Pat Buchanan takes historical revisionism to new heights. In his narrative, the rational political operatives are Adolph Hitler and Neville Chamberlain. The warmongers are George Bush and the Poles who did not appease Hitler.

I give Buchanan credit for criticizing Bush's Knesset speech from a different angle. Obama and Clinton huffed and puffed at what they interpreted as Bush's criticism of them but Buchanan uses this topic to defend Hitler!

Buchanan credits British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with having the right policy of negotiating with Hitler which, in Buchanan's historical imagination, led to peace. You see Hitler had these legitimate gripes, Buchanan maintains, he just wanted to repatriate German's living in Czechoslovakia and Poland.

Buchanan's take on the causes of World War II leads him to conclude that negotiating with Hamas, Iran, Hezzbolah, and I guess Al Queda is the road to piece and security.

If you visit the Townhall website that has published this Buchanan fantasy you will be encouraged to see that readers have given the lowest rating to Buchanan's piece. Perhaps you would want to grade him as well.

Buchanan does seem to mix apples and oranges--negotiating with an enemy (Hitler) in order to get them to stop their aggression is compared with negotiating with an enemy (Syria) to stop a third party (Iraq) and with negotiating with an enemy (Khrushchev) to apply pressure (Cuban Missile Crisis).

Contrary to Buchanan's claim, Bush did not call the leaders who negotiated "deluded fools"--he said the policy was a foolish delusion, and claimed that such a policy, specifically of negotiating with aggressors to get them to stop--a policy that has been discredited by history. Historically, appeasement has not stopped the aggressors it was intended to stop.

Does Mr. Buchanan really believe that negotiating with Syria, China, and Hamas has resulted in their moderating their policies?

He himself acknowledges the need for the threat of force:

But did not Ronald Reagan's negotiations with the Evil Empire, as he rebuilt America's military might, bear fruit in a reversal of Moscow's imperial policy and an end to the Cold War?

This still ignores the economic pressure Reagan put on Russia by building up our military as Russia struggled to keep up.

In his eagerness to bash Bush, Buchanan has put together an argument that just does not hold up.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: President Bush and Pat Buchanan.