An Embarrassment to My Name

Via Daniel Nexon, Erik Erikson shows that he knows nothing about World War II:

Barack Obama suggests we need to consider moral issues in intervening with combat forces. He mentions intervening in the Holocaust and how we should have done that.

Um Senator, we did intervene in the Holocaust. It was called World War II.

I guess you hadn't heard of that, kind of like you hadn't heard of Bill Ayers.

OK then.

Wingnuts' obsession on Israel naturally includes some ol'fashioned made up history. This is particularly important considering that wingnuts used to include anti-Semitism in their bag of tricks. And not that long ago either. Better to forget that though.

The United States did not enter World War II to save the Jews. They did not fight World War II to save the Jews. Saving the Jews was basically not on the radar screen of Eisenhower or the other leading generals. Or Franklin Roosevelt for that matter. American Jews were screaming about these atrocities but American leaders chose to fight the war their own way. I'm not saying this was right or wrong from a military standpoint, but pleas to save the Jews were ignored.

Not only that, but anti-Semitism was an important part of American society all the way through the middle of the 20th century. We denied Jews visas into the United States, even when we knew Hitler might kill them. Why? Because we didn't like Jews either. Because a large percentage of Americans believed the worst anti-Semitic stereotypes. Because we were a deeply racist country.

But since the Republican Party has decided, in typically cynical fashion, that are they are Israel's best friend, it makes perfect sense to make up a past that America was always the Jews' best friend.

Despite any evidence to the contrary.

And if this guy is going to spout such utter crap, he could at least spell his name with a "c."