Burn in Hell, General
By …Pinochet used to be a litmus test for right and center-right thinkers; if you considered Pinochet a “complicated” figure, possessed of certain vices but laudable for his understanding of modern economics and the existential threat of Communism, you were a Serious Thinker. Those who believed he was a murderous tyrant were unserious, overly emotional, and incapable of understanding the threat of Communism and the true interests of the Chilean people. There was no substance to this, of course, but there rarely is with such tests. Fortunately or no, the neoconservative emphasis on democracy has allowed rightists to forget that the men and women they admire once supported such a tyrant, although I still look forward to seeing some “he was a tyrant, but…” defenses from right blogistan in the next week or so.