The Dictator Checklist

The other day I was engaged in an e-mail exchange during which I again expressed my outrage at the invasion of Iraq, and 1 of the other people asked if I thot it was a good idea to get rid of evil dictators. I replied, "If by 'evil dictator' you mean George W. Bush, I'm working on it."

He challenged me, contending that it was inappropriate to compare Bush to Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler. In response, I drew up a little "dictator checklist", which I now share.

Yes No - democratically elected
Yes No - presents self as folksy "man of the people"
Yes No - gets input from wide range of sources
Yes No - admits own mistakes
Yes No - rubber-stamp legislature
Yes No - ignores judicial review of actions
Yes No - creates climate of fear and xenophobia
Yes No - constant appeals to patriotism
Yes No - delusions of grandeur and destiny
OK Not - invading helpless countries
OK Not - secret arrests without evidence
OK Not - life imprisonment without trial
OK Not - secret police spying on own citizens
OK Not - torture
OK Not - citizens criticizing regime
OK Not - aggressive investigative press
OK Not - massive body count