Gonna have to brush up on my World War II history, but if this tidbit is true, from Daphne Eviatar's latest piece arguing for civilian trials for terrorist suspects, it's fascinating:
A similar course was briefly considered after World War II, when Winston Churchill reportedly told Joseph Stalin that he'd rather just execute Nazi leaders upon their capture. Stalin, of all people, insisted that they deserved a trial.
Historically, the United States has prided itself as being several steps above Stalin in terms of its respect for the rule of law. But these latest proposals make one wonder just how low some American opinionators and policymakers may be willing to sink.
Generally Stalin was a fan of the "show" genre of trials rather than the "fair" ones, so this is something of a surprise to me. We're living in a post-liberal fascism world, though, in which totalitarian dictators can give certain ideas and concepts cooties through peripheral association. So I fear Eviatar may have inadvertently given the torture wing of the GOP another talking point.
"You know who liked fair trials? Stalin!"
-- A. Serwer
