it's worth reminding ourselves, with regard to the smerconish-type position below, that there really is an american authoritarian right that more or less ran the country for eight years, from which we had a very fortunate escape. i think the arguments of the sort smerconish was formulating - and which are so familiar - are moronic, just pitiful, reaching for any rationalization of tyranny. also that the attempt to square the various positions is ridiculous. if your position is that the u.s. government can intern and torture anyone on any pretext without any supervision or redress, then don't come to me with words like "freedom," "democracy," "constitution" etc. as we debate about whether obama is a socialist - a question that if you ask me is perfectly legit though kind of anachronistic - then remember that the debate about whether cheney or ann coulter or limbaugh are fascists is also legit.

on the other hand it is also worth pointing out that many on the right ought not to be tarred with this brush, and that there's still a libertarian movement in this country and that whatever ron paul  may be, he's the opposite of a fascist.