He’s not my favorite culture snark. But hand it to Bill Maher -- he isn’t flinching in his take down of the PC left regarding their obsequious servility to all things Islamic.

His latest smackdown highlights the basic flaw in U.S. policy regarding brutal but relatively secular dictators. The misconception is that the forces opposing the dictators in their own country are in opposition mainly because of the brutality and that that makes them the good guys, the obvious conclusion being that removal of the dictators will result in a more humane society. The poster child of such only-good-will-come-from-outing-the-bad is President Jimmy Carter. Out with the evil Shah of Iran, in with Saint Khomeini! But look at the track record in general. Out with the evil Chiang Kai-shek, in with Mao; out with Batista, in with Castro; out with Mubarak, in with Morsi (how ecumenical was his Caliphate going to be?). And now the administration is targeting Assad, who basically protected Christians and other religious minorities. He is to be replaced with…?

As Maher points out, we just couldn’t conceive of the intractable apocalyptic, genocidal, monomanical opposition these dictators faced -- especially now in the Middle East. In Maher’s own inimitable language, in which he imagines a conversation between Hussein and Gaddafi and American leaders: Yes, I’m a bad guy, but you have no idea how crazy the people in my country are. I am keeping the shit to shoe level. You should be thanking me.