The Terroriste

Francois Furstenberg, writing in The New York Times sees Bush and his allies as the new Jacobins. There are enough points of similarity to once again illustrate Mark Twain's principle that History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

. . . future historians examining Mr. Bush’s presidency within the longer sweep of political and intellectual history may find the French Revolution useful in understanding his curious brand of 21st- century conservatism.

Soon after the storming of the Bastille, pro-Revolutionary elements came together to form an association that would become known as the Jacobin Club, an umbrella group of politicians, journalists and citizens dedicated to advancing the principles of the Revolution.

The Jacobins shared a defining ideological feature. They divided the world between pro- and anti-Revolutionaries — the defenders of liberty versus its enemies.

The Jacobins saw themselves as missionaires of liberty with a global mission, and soon launched preventive wars all over. This provoked domestic dissent, but:

Among the Jacobins’ greatest triumphs was their ability to appropriate the rhetoric of patriotism — Le Patriote Français was the title of Brissot’s newspaper — and to promote their political program through a tightly coordinated network of newspapers, political hacks, pamphleteers and political clubs.

Even the Jacobins’ dress distinguished “true patriots”: those who wore badges of patriotism like the liberty cap on their heads, or the cocarde tricolore (a red, white and blue rosette) on their hats or even on their lapels.

Insisting that their partisan views were identical to the national will, believing that only they could save France from apocalyptic destruction, Jacobins could not conceive of legitimate dissent. Political opponents were treasonous, stabbing France and the Revolution in the back.

The Jacobins instituted harsh domestic measures to quell dissent, including widespread warrantless searches and dententions and eventually, mass executions.

Compare and contrast Bush:

We must not let foreign enemies use the forums of liberty to destroy liberty itself

Louis Saint-Juste:

“No liberty for the enemies of liberty.

I won't spoil Furstenberg's punchline by quoting it.