"You certainly do remind me of Adolf Hitler"

I have a rule. As soon as someone invokes Nazi Germany to bolster their argument about anything (not related to genocide, of course), I stop reading. So if David Brooks said anything smart in the rest of this column, let me know.

These events have heralded a new era of partnership between the White House and private companies, one that calls to mind the wonderful partnership Germany formed with France and the Low Countries at the start of World War II.

Dave Barry understood this way back in 1982:

*Compare your opponent to Adolf Hitler.

This is your heavy artillery, for when your opponent is obviously right and you are spectacularly wrong. Bring Hitler up subtly. Say: "That sounds suspiciously like something Adolf Hitler might say" or "You certainly do remind me of Adolf Hitler."