Read this column by Paul Craig Roberts, an arch-conservative, former Assistant Treasury Secretary under Reagan and someone with whom I seldom have agreed on much of anything. But he pulls no punches in this column and illustrates why traditional conservatism, of which he is most certainly a Dean, is finally waking up to the horror that is Bushism.

[all emphasis is mine]

I have made it clear in my columns that Bush supporters are not true conservatives. They are brownshirts with the same low intelligence and morals as Hitler’s enthusiastic supporters. And they are just as resistant to facts.

…

Many Americans are so unsophisticated that they refuse to believe anything bad about their country. They regard acceptance of unpalatable truths as disloyalty. This failure of American character is why Bush has been able to get away with transgressions that scream out for his impeachment and trial as a war criminal.

The premeditated rape and murders are just the latest in the long line of horrific war crimes from Abu Ghraib to Haditha. Bush supporters are still in denial about each incident. It is amazing that Bush supporters think we have a John Wayne military when, according to news reports, recruitment problems have resulted in the military accepting felons, drug users, thugs, low-IQ high school dropouts, and illegal Mexicans promised green cards for signing up. Apparently, the same people who make America’s streets unsafe for Americans make Iraqi streets unsafe for Iraqis. In response to the declining caliber of new recruits, some of our best troops are refusing to reenlist. Several have written to me that “the Army has left them.”

…

To this day, the Bush regime and the neocon Nazis have not told us the reason for their invasion of Iraq, the destruction of its towns and infrastructure, and the slaughter of its citizens. Every reason Bush has given has proved to be a lie.

There is no more reason for U.S. troops to be shooting up Iraq than to be shooting up Canada, Scotland, Holland, Spain, Taiwan, Florida, Virginia, or California. We are killing Iraqis for no other reason than that they resist our invasion and occupation of their country.

Now imagine the reaction of the Faux Newsies had these statements been made by a liberal, any liberal. My prediction is that Roberts’ comments will simply slide on by unnoticed though I certainly hope they don’t.

It sure puts the lie to the idea that what is happening in this country is a battle between liberalism and conservatism. The Bush Cabal wants to wear the mantle of conservatism because they think it imparts a gravitas and legitimacy to their actions but all they’ll succeed in doing if they are successful in selling the idea that they are conservatives is to destroy conservativism for a generation. Now I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad outcome but conservatism can fail on its merits, or lack thereof, quite handily without any help from the Bushies and their neo-conservative fascism.

I look forward to the day when I can go back to disagreeing with Roberts about policy and all that he stands for on the “true” conservative side, rather than cheering him on as he speaks truth to power.