Why Holocaust Revisionism is Important

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor recently returned from a trip to Auschwitz, a trip that he made with several other members of the House of Representatives.  In a speech given at Virginia Military Institute on Feb. 17, Cantor, a Jew, cited the Holocaust as a reason why the United States cannot peruse a policy of isolationism (as was envisioned by the founding fathers).  According to the article, "sources who have spoken to him suggest his foreign policy address was shaped specifically by profound feelings aroused by his visit to Auschwitz."  The article later quoted Republican political consultant Fred Luntz: Cantor was ”making a statement that the isolationists in the GOP are acting in a destructive way, that there’s one thing that unites both those on the right and those in the center — a strong America and a peaceful America...I saw him after he returned from his visit to Auschwitz, and he came over to me and he was still stunned 36 hours after he had been there.  I could feel his emotional reaction five feet from him.”

Obviously, the Holocaust arouses strong emotion in people; top decision leaders are no exception.  I'm sure that Cantor is not the only politician whose foreign policy views are influenced by the Holocaust and not the only politician that uses emotional rhetoric of the Holocaust to draw the public to their views.  If an historical event can have such an impact on our foreign policy, shouldn't that event be open to every kind of rational criticism?  Shouldn't we be able to openly challenge the facts and the perceptions of those decision makers and the public at large if their perceptions may be inaccurate?  With that being said, are Holocaust revisionists dangerous anti-Semites, or are they an essential part of a well-functioning democracy?