Godwins Law - real world applications

As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.

thanks wikipedia!

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday the world faces ?a new type of fascism'? and likened critics of the Bush administration?s war strategy to those who tried to appease the Nazis in the 1930s. In unusually explicit terms, Rumsfeld portrayed the administration?s critics as suffering from ?moral or intellectual confusion'? about what threatens the nation?s security.

Thanks Crooks and Liars, and that leads me to my point. The first corrolary to Godwians Law:

There is a tradition in many newsgroups and other Internet discussion forums that once such a comparison is made, the thread is finished and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically "lost" whatever debate was in progress.