Christopher Hitchens

[vulturesrow]

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That was a truly bad piece of writing by Hitchens. His (more and more desperate) political stance regarding Iraq makes him go overboard.

As usual, politics get in the way of art.

Harold Pinter is a great writer, no matter whether he is a fanatic supporter of the war in Iraq or a fanatical opponent. Ezra Pound was a great poet, despite his overt sympathy for fascism. Louis-Ferdinand Céline was a collaborator of the German occupiers of France but he nonetheless wrote "Voyage au bout de la nuit". T. S. Elliot wrote some odious anti-semitic tracts but he is still magnificent. Mario Vargas Llosa has been denounced by every lefty in South Americe yet he is among the solid writers of the continent. A heapload of "leftist" writers are crap, despite being consistently, honorably against the war in Iraq.

The liver of Hitchens is long gone, by most accounts. His brain cells cannot be far behind.

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Cryus obviously doesnt like Hitchens, which I suspect may be due to Hitchen's 'abandoning' the Socialist cause. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] The more interesting point to me is how besotted some of my fellow conservatives have become with this man, strictly because of his support of the war in Iraq. Nothing else about this man suggests that he should be embraced by conservatives. In many respects, I guess you could he is the epitome of neoconservative thought. I think he is fine writer and definitely has a flair for invective, but I also find him to be very self important and somewhat arrogant in his writing. As to his drinking habits, I cannot say, although I have seen the charges of being quite the imbiber. Not particular point here, other than trying to generate some discussion.

[Cyrus]

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Cryus obviously doesnt like Hitchens, which I suspect may be due to Hitchen's 'abandoning' the Socialist cause.

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Hitchens has written some good books about Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Henry Kissinger -- all disparaging to their subjects. He has also written a very penetrating account of the 1974 Cyprus crisis and very revealing book about Mother Teresa!

Christopher Hitchens remains a quick wit and a lover of the bon mot, so he is a delight to watch on TV, sparring with neo-cons. I fondly recall an exchange with Moses aka Charltone Heston, out of which the NRA spokesman came all wet...

But his stance on Iraq, along with a couple of other political positions he has taken in recent years indicate that his friend and fellow writer Ian Jack is right: The drinking has caught up with him.

By the way, neither Hitchens nor me (last time I checked) are socialists.

I wish I was able to say I am.

[DVaut1]

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and very revealing book about Mother Teresa!

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Anyone who writes a book about Mother Teresa titled The Missionary Position gets two-thumbs-up in my book.

Certainly one of the more riotious political commentators and (at least for entertainment value), Hitchens is always a good read, IMO.

[vulturesrow]

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But his stance on Iraq, along with a couple of other political positions he has taken in recent years indicate that his friend and fellow writer Ian Jack is right: The drinking has caught up with him.

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You can do better than that Cyrus. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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By the way, neither Hitchens nor me (last time I checked) are socialists

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True, Hitchens was a Trotskyist. Mentioning you was just a bit of a jab. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I wish I was able to say I am.

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Interesting...


Cyrus, have you read Hitchen's book on George ORwell? If so, any comments? Also, Im surpised that you had no comment on the many conservatives' [misplaced in my opinion] infatuation with Hitchens.

[vulturesrow]

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Anyone who writes a book about Mother Teresa titled The Missionary Position gets two-thumbs-up in my book.

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I need to read this book. I have read some excerpts and thats about it. I feel its probably something I wont like but I need to read before I can really comment.

[DVaut1]

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I need to read this book. I have read some excerpts and thats about it. I feel its probably something I wont like but I need to read before I can really comment.

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I read it while I was in college - I didn't quite understand how or why anyone could disaprove of Mother Theresa. In that way, it was a rather eye-opening read - to question the goodliness of Mother Theresa (in my mind, at the time) was an act of supreme contrarianism; so I think he still endears himself to the left (given his tradition of questioning prevailing wisdom and authority), despite his neo-con turn post 9/11.

That and, who doesn't like a funny drunk?

[Cyrus]

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You can do better than that.

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Alright, I'll take the high road, travaled by DVault, leading to "Who doesn't like a funny drunk?"

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"Hitchens was not a socialist". True, Hitchens was a Trotskyist.

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Troskyists are socialists. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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Im surpised that you had no comment on the many conservatives' [misplaced in my opinion] infatuation with Hitchens.

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What comment need one make other than the obvious one (which I've already made) : That the Right is so desperate for recognition by the intelligentsia that it will acknowledge and welcome gratefully even an endorsement by a card-carrying member of the Communist Party!

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Have you read Hitchens' book on George Orwell?

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No.

A funny thought: How many conservatives today believe that the West's sympathies were with the wrong side in the Spanish Civil War? Quite a lot, I believe, would choose Franco's fascism over the Republicanism/Socialism of the (legitimate) Spanish government! A government composed by Socialists, Social-Democrats, Communists (both Stalinists and Troskyists), Anarchists, and other atheists.


George Orwell was a reporter in Spain at the time and saw action.

[lehighguy]

I haven't read his work I've only seen him on TV so I could be wrong.

I always saw his Iraq stance as being the liberal pre-9/11 foriegn policy stance. Namely, conservatives were isolationists and liberals wanted to send troops and money all over the world to fix things. That was certainly the character of the 2000 presidential race. Then after 9/11 liberals switched sides for what appeared to be no other reason then they didn't want to agree with Bush even though it was thier posistion. IMHO Hitchens actually stayed steadfast to his pre-9/11 idealism.

[John Cole]

Did you by any chance catch his debate with Galloway? Outstanding fun!

[John Cole]

But Mother Theresa is such an easy target. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]