The Strong Man (variously known as “Il Duce,” “Der Führer,” “El Caudillo,” etc.) often draws large and enthusiastic crowds to his rallies, where he promises to restore the greatness of the nation.
A while back, Mr. Donald Trump had some very positive things to say about Mr. Vladimir Putin, who had just had some good things to say about him:
Now, Mr. Trump has made a rather wistfully positive remark about the late Mr. Saddam Hussein, a former resident of the Iraqi city of Baghdad:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/431421/donald-trump-veteran-policy-insult-them
I was already bothered by Mr. Trump’s resemblance to the proverbial political Strong Man. He seems to me an obviously clear and present danger to the cause of constitutionalism and limited government. (In view of the recent sudden loss of Justice Scalia, Trumpism, in my judgment, looms as an even more menacing phenomenon than it already did before.) But Mr. Trump’s publicly expressed admiration, however limited it may or may not be, for such odious figures as Mr. Putin and the late Mr. Hussein makes my skin crawl.
Posted from Ka’anapali, Maui, Hawai’i
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