A specter is haunting Morrissey Boulevard — the specter of McCarthyism. In its editorial “Sen. Collins must lay claim to courage,’’ The Boston Globe borrows Margaret Chase Smith’s repudiation of Joe McCarthy to express the editorial board’s own loathing of President Trump, referring to him as “another demagogue trafficking in fear, ignorance, bigotry, and smear.’’ Added to this was the assertion that McCarthy’s platform was built of “xenophobia and spectacular insinuation.’’

What’s really spectacular is the way the Globe uses the McCarthy playbook to run down the president: “President Trump would poison not just our politics, but also our environment. He threatens not just our domestic civil liberties, but also our moral standing in the world — undermining a security alliance that’s served the West well for decades while he’s also embracing murderous strongmen from Manila to Moscow.’’

What fevered brain composed that apocalyptic passage? An honest examination of Trump’s positions reveals no evidence that he is guilty of any of those things, unless “embrace’’ means to politely meet someone. The Globe’s charges and surmisings are unreasonable.

Somewhere in the darkness, Tail Gunner Joe is smiling.

Joseph Baldanza

Framingham