August 9, 2004

Thank you, again, to Hitchens

He certainly can cut to the heart of an issue and I couldn't agree with him more, for the most part.

Finally - the sound of common fucking sense in the middle of all the hyped-up paranoia and politicized jargon.

I'm fatigued. I'm fatigued by my own need to stay informed. I'm fatigued by the emptiness of the rhetoric. I'm fatigued by listening to those who are out of touch with reality - and they obviously exist on both sides.

Christopher Hitchens' cranky commonsensical prose is like a breath of fresh air.

Posted by sheila
Comments

Hitchens is becoming the Godfather of 'Rational Liberalism', if he isn't already.

What I wouldn't give to ply him with scotch and just listen to him talk for hours on end.. .

Posted by: tonecuster at August 9, 2004 1:36 PM

Ha! I have the same fantasy: Scotch. Christopher Hitchens. Conversation.

Perhaps you and I should join forces. :)

Posted by: red at August 9, 2004 1:40 PM

Surely one should also at least note in passing that this is Christopher Hitchens, the pro-war socialist, not his "Mirror, Mirror" brother Peter Hitchens, the anti-war Tory?

Posted by: Dave J at August 9, 2004 1:41 PM

I said his name though in my post - am I missing something? ... I love that pro-war socialist alcoholic.

Posted by: red at August 9, 2004 1:46 PM

So you did. I guess I didn't even read all the way before responding.

Posted by: Dave J at August 9, 2004 1:47 PM

To me, there's only one Hitchens. :)

Posted by: red at August 9, 2004 1:48 PM

Actually, I'd happily take a conglomeration of the two: mostly Christopher on foreign policy, mostly Peter on British domestic politics. I know I've seen them debating something or other at some point, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

Posted by: Dave J at August 9, 2004 1:50 PM

Wow. Sounds extremely interesting.

Posted by: red at August 9, 2004 1:51 PM

I loved his thing in VF last month where he suggested Bush should start drinking again.

And yes, I did once meet Hitch, after a speech he gave last year. Unfortunately, I didn't get to drink with him, although I did bum a cigarette from him. Even though I don't smoke.

Posted by: Stephen Silver at August 9, 2004 1:53 PM

red,

*Excellent* idea!

Posted by: tonecluster at August 9, 2004 3:34 PM

By the way.. does anyone know if we can get ahold of the titles Hitchens and Salman Rushdie came up with when they re-named Shakespeare's plays as if they'd been written by Robert Ludlum? Unreal. "The Danish Indecision" etc etc etc...

Posted by: scotchcluster at August 9, 2004 3:36 PM

Scotchcluster-

Right here- http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/269kenvl.asp

used to play two subliterary games with Salman Rushdie. The first, not that you asked, was to re-title Shakespeare plays as if they had been written by Robert Ludlum. (Rushdie, who invented the game, came up with The Elsinore Vacillation, The Dunsinane Reforestation, The Kerchief Implication, and The Rialto Sanction.)

Posted by: Stephen Silver at August 9, 2004 3:58 PM