The incomparable Bob Somerby.

David Frum goes after Robert Novak—and brings Saddam right to our shores
How stupid can people get at times of war? People can get very stupid. For example, they claim that those who oppose a war are somehow "against the troops!"? You're right -- it's hard to get dumber than that. But who knows? Perhaps they believe that, in the American system, the troops decide when wars should be fought. That, of course, would be very stupid. But stress makes these folks deeply stupid.

What do we learn from the Frums and the Coulters? That American values -- indeed, that all post-Enlightenment, western-world values -- are a very recent overlay, superimposed on much older impulses. These impulses undermine the western values we commonly claim to hold dear. These impulses were selected for millions of years ago, in the distant, pre-human past. They promote ancestral, pre-western thinking. The Frums and the Coulters give them voice.

What do these impulses tell us to think? They tell us that our own specific tribe must be right?and that all other tribes must be evil and wrong. These impulses say that those who disagree with our views must disagree out of evil. They tell us to stamp out those who disagree -- to brand them Enemies of the State. And remember: These impulses are lodged in the human soul. Right up to this very day, these ancient impulses will persuade all those who don?t choose to resist them.