I enjoy Andrew Sullivan’s blog, but I wish he wouldn’t do things like this:

“Palin has been airbrushed out of the GOP race by the entire scene – from Politico to National Review. And yet, for some unfathomable reason, she has secretly put together an hour long “Triumph Of The Will“ “Evita” “Undefeated” documentary that will attempt to do what Josh Green tried: to reframe her as a visionary reformer.”

I, along with many others, have repeatedly expressed my dislike for the Nazi comparison rhetorical device. Now, of course, a great many movies were influenced by that film. (I have even heard it said that the ending scene of Star Wars: A New Hope was influenced by a scene from it!) Maybe it will turn out the Palin film has some technical similarities, although so far I know of no reason to think it will. Such comparisons are very interesting from the point of view of a film student, but I don’t think that’s how Sullivan meant it.

My Conservative friends used to tell me, with an air of someone revealing esoteric and terrifying knowledge, that the Obama “Hope” poster was based, in some way, on the famous photo of Che Guevara. Well, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit. What poster designer wouldn’t mimic one of the most iconic pictures in the world? But it seems to me it doesn’t necessarily mean anything about the ideology of the figures depicted. Same logic applies here.