And they laughed at the phrase “liberal fascism”

The lede of Thomas Friedman’s 9/8 column:

Watching both the health care and climate/energy debates in Congress, it is hard not to draw the following conclusion: There is only one thing worse than one-party autocracy, and that is one-party democracy, which is what we have in America today.

Words fail. But wait! It gets better!

One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages.

Ah yes…enlightened China! The land of forced abortions and Internet censorship and (possibly) organ harvesting of enemies of the state. A country that abetted genocide in Darfur in order to siphon off that state’s oil. So enlightened!

I mean, seriously? Friedman seriously wants to make this argument? Will Wilkinson has more, including the best summary thus far:

My hunch is that the Times’ editors see Friedman aiming the gun at his foot, but watching a man stupid enough to actually pull the trigger is so fun they hate to intervene. That or they’re trying to explode the myth of American meritocracy.