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Formula One Chief Lauds Hitler's Efficiency

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 3, 2009 7:30 PM CDT

(Newser) – The billionaire chief of Formula One racing admires Adolf Hitler, disses democracy, and applauds Margaret Thatcher—but slams the West for lacking cultural sensitivity. Hitler "could command a lot of people" and was "able to get things done," Bernie Ecclestone tells the Times of London. But Germany's tyrant allowed others to persuade him "to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not ... In the end he got lost."

The outspoken 78-year-old, whose tongue has enraged critics before, dismisses democracy—“it hasn’t done a lot of good for many countries"—and laments the "terrible" decision to oust Saddam Hussein. "We move into countries and we have no idea of the culture," he says. Politicians and Jewish groups quickly returned fire: "This fashionable contempt for the right of people to elect their own leaders is frankly frightening," says a Labour MP.

[Images (2)]

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Bernie Ecclestone, who owns F1's commercial rights, attends a meeting at the FIA headquarters, in Paris Wednesday June 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Gareth Watkins, Pool)

F1 auto racing's supremo Bernie Ecclestone answers questions during free practise Saturday June 20, 2009, in Silverstone, England. (AP Photo/ Max Nash)

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We did a terrible thing when we supported the idea of getting rid of Saddam Hussein. We move into countries and we have no idea of the culture. The Americans probably thought Bosnia was a town in Miami.
- Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 4 comments

NxBigmouthery

Jul 4, 2009 8:30 AM CDT

So Mosley is filmed in a BDSM Nazi fantasy and Bernie praises the efficiency of the Third Reich. What next, Michael Schumacher's Beer Hall Putsch? If Hitler was so efficient...how come he got his ass kicked?

Doctor-Zaius

Jul 4, 2009 3:55 AM CDT

Genius, he's not a Labour MP, he's a billionaire who admires the right wing hatchet lady Maggie Thatcher. Did your mother have any children that lived?

ChickenChopper

Jul 4, 2009 2:11 AM CDT

and he thinks us 'americans probably thought Bosnia was a town in Miami" .... um a town in a town? This dude must think Miami is a state or something? people (like this freak) should really keep their mouths shut if they dont know what they are even talking sh*t about.

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democracy • Adolf Hitler • Formula One • dictatorship • Bernie Ecclestone

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