When Socialist Action, a Lilliputian US cult around Jeff Mackler, first formulated its support for the Assad regime, it acknowledged he was a dictator. But by stringing together out-of-context quotes from Lenin they came up with a banal justification for supporting Assad & betraying the Syrian Arab Spring which Mackler, poisoned by ‘war on terror’ ideology, designated as “Islamist.” When Russia joined Syria in bombing civilians, Mackler & his groupies defended it & when Assad gassed civilians, they denied it. Calling themselves Marxists, they became full members of the “US regime change operation” cult. Now Mackler has written an article calling Ilhan Omar “retrogressive” for calling Assad a dictator. It’s a slippery slope from sectarianism & cultism to sucking up to dictatorship. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s the natural trajectory.