Two hours later, Santorum issued a statement saying he was merely trying ''to dramatize the principle of an argument, not to characterize my Democratic colleagues.''

''Nevertheless,'' he said, ''it was a mistake, and I meant no offense.''

In March, Santorum took U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., to task for comparing the Republican proposal on curbing filibusters — called the ''nuclear option'' by some — to Hitler's success in winning dictatorial powers from the German parliament.

''Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality,'' Byrd said. ''He recognized the enormous psychological value of having the law on his side. … That's what the nuclear option seeks to do.''

After Byrd's statement, Santorum called on him to retract the remarks, saying it was ''inexcusable'' to compare Republicans to Nazis.

The Anti-Defamation League also weighed in, calling the comparison ''hideous, outrageous and offensive.''

Byrd's office did not respond to a request for comment. But his spokesman told The Associated Press in March that Byrd was making a point about history and not comparing Republicans to Nazis.

Both Byrd, the dean of the Senate, and Santorum, the Republicans' No. 3 leader, are facing re-election in 2006.

Chuck Pennacchio, a Bucks County history professor seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Santorum, issued a statement calling Santorum's remarks ''embarrassing to all Pennsylvanians.''

''How ironic it is that he would make such an extremist comment comparing Senate Democrats to Adolf Hitler while his own political party seeks to consolidate all governmental power in its own hands,'' Pennacchio said...

By Jeff Miller, The Morning Call, May 20, 2005

The Hitler Card

There is a considerable difference between evil incarnate and an argument over appellate court nominations in a democratic government -- but apparently not to Sen. Rick Santorum.

Democrats have used the filibuster to block 10 judicial nominations, as the Senate has voted on and approved more than 250 other nominations by President Bush. The tactic has been used 13 times since 1968 to block federal judicial nominations, by both parties. And both parties also have used other parliamentary devices to block votes on judicial and executive-branch nominations.

The current war over the filibuster, according to Mr. Santorum, is like, well, World War II.

"It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942 saying, 'I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me? How dare you bomb my city? It's mine.'"

Besides being a crashing, nonhistorical nonsequitur, Mr. Santorum's comment illustrated the current low level of discourse in the nation's capital. Too many of these politicians find it far too easy to attribute the opposition's motives to evil. Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat, used a Hitlerian reference in March while arguing on the other side of the filibuster issue. So apparently, Hitler would have been for and against the filibuster.

Mr. Santorum later apologized for his remark. But it is extraordinary that he looked at the situation and even found an analogy to Hitler. Even though he might disagree with the folks across the aisle, they don't really fit the profile.

Editorial, Scranton Times Tribune, May 23, 2005

Senator's 'insult'

I'd like to thank Sen. Rick Santorum for comparing Senate Democrats to Nazis.

It strengthens my resolve to help get him out of office. First Sen. Bill Frist accuses us Democrats of being against people of faith (I go to Mass every Sunday, pray the rosary three times a week), and now Santorum compares us with Hitler?

How does this represent supposedly Christian values by hurling insults at the opposing party because they disagree with the majority?

Doing away with the filibuster is giving up our protection of checks and balances.

Joseph Timlin, Philadelphia

Letter to the editor, Philadelphia Daily News, May 26, 2005

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