Did anyone watch Bernard-Henri Levy debate Bill Kristol on CSPAN2?

[CottonBear]

Mr. Levy is one of France's leading philosophers and the author of many books (mostly in French) including a new one (written in English) called 'American Vertigo.' I only caught the end of the broadcast. I am a huge fan of Mr. Levy. The book explores the relationship between American politics and religion, both now and during the early years of our nation.

IMHO, Mr. Levy made Kristol look like an intellectual lightweight at best. It was almost embarrassing to listen to Kristol's responses to Levy's arguments. Kristol came off as an extreme partisan trying to pose as an objective journalist. He was unable to separate his political and his personal religious views in order to have a meaningful debate and discussion with Mr. Levy. I find it hard to believe that so many neocons think so highly of Kristol. He's simply not very intelligent or well spoken.

Levy's new book is on the top of my must read list.

[ewagner]

1. Sorry I missed that

I saw Mr. Levy on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week and he was very, very impressive. I'd buy tickets to a lecture if he was within 100 miles of my location!

[CottonBear]

7. Vanity Fair published a great profile of him (last year?).

He is a philosopher and a prolific author. He works for peace (has travelled to Afghanistan) and is very involved in the public debate about war, (French) immigration policy,culture and nationalism.

He is also married to one of France's most beautiful actresses and he is known for his elegant signature sartorial style. All in all, a very, very interesting person. He is one of France's most important intellectuals. As a French Jew, he has an interesting perspective on the Islamic-Christian divide in French culture and society.

He really wiped the floor with Kristol. This deabte was on CSPAN2 BookTV yesterday. Maybe it will be rerun again. It is well worth watching. He discusses Toqueville's (sp? French historian) thoughts and writing on the intersection of American politics and religion and relates to what is happening in the US today.

[graywarrior]

2. Yeah, he is very impressive

Too bad half the country is brainwashed to hate the French.

[CottonBear]

26. Isn't the anti-French sentiment ridiculous?

They only helped us fight for our independence and sold us a huge chunk of the USA. Oh yeah, they gave us that statue too. :(

[Stephanie]

3. The neocons are all highly overrated.

If they are so brilliant, why do all of their schemes fail so spectacularly? They are legends in their own minds.

[npincus]

4. when/where was the debate held?

maybe we can catch it on repeat.

thanks.

[CottonBear]

10. 01/24/06. It was on CSPAN2 Book TV yesterday.

I woke up from a nap and caught the end of the speech. I'll have to search on the CSPAN website in order to find out where the debate was held. I didn't have my glasses on and I couldn't read the screen. (My bad.)

Mr. Levy took audience questions too. Kristol got all flustered and kept turning bright red while Levy kept his cool.

I am a huge fan and I can't beleive I missed him on the Daily Show. :(

[leftchick]

12. here is the link to the video

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/videos/celebrity_interviews/index.jhtml

I missed it too and I am going to watch it right now. You have me very intrigued!

:hi:

[npincus]

13. thank you!

[CottonBear]

16. Thanks for posting the Daily Show link!

I must admit, I've had a huge crush on Bernard-Henri for several years now. He is so very smart and elegant and he has lead such a fascinating life. He is quite the celebrity philosopher in France! I'm going to order his book ASAP.

[leftchick]

18. I am going to order his book as well!

Just watched and I think I am in love!

:loveya: Bernard!

[CottonBear]

19. Here's a link to a Guardain interview at the time B-HL's Daniel Pearl book

was published.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,977498,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard-Henri_Levy

photo link: http://www.sijmen.nl/filo/levy.html

American Vertigo on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400064341/ref=nosim/002-4765478-9194400?n=283155

[leftchick]

24. thank you CB!

:hi:

[JitterbugPerfume]

5. I missed him on C-Span but

he was very impressive on The Daily Show. His book is on my list

[applegrove]

6. That's great. Cause Krystal has been berating the european intellectuals

for not paying any attention to him. Claims they are elitist. Except that just about every european intellectual got there on pain of their own thinking, idea & abilities..while Krystal is there - on top of a phony stream of thinking - because of daddy.

I'd buy that book too.

[CottonBear]

14. I bet Kristol is sorry he volunteered to debate Levy.

He looked and sounded flustered and tongue-tied throughout. Plus, his face would turn bright red anytime Levy rebutted Kristol's arguments.

[applegrove]

28. Like I said - Kritol didn't get to the top of an intellectual movement

by being tested again and again. Neither he (the son) nor his neocons movement ... have really been tested with veracity.

Too bad they got to try and implement policy before they face inteltual rigour.

Like I say - with nefarious characters.. everything is backwards.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Heard him on NPR. He is terrific. I am sure he made Kristol look like an

idiot.

[FSogol]

9. He Kristol came off as an extreme partisan

trying to pose as an objective journalist? That's what he is, an extreme partisan posing as an objective journalist.

[CottonBear]

11. Kristol simply does a piss poor job of hiding his biases.

Levy was debating on a philosophical level and Kristol was simply in over his head. Kristol was contradicting himself in an attempt to explain his point of view. Surely, the neocons could have found someone else to debate Levy.

[legin]

15. you might want to watch your step with Levi

i'm a bit out of the loop, but I have this feeling that Levi is a warmongeringering neo-con too.

Probably I'm wrong, but you should check.

[CottonBear]

17. His name is spelled Levy (with an accent on the 'e.')

Levy is not a neocon.

[Hamlette]

23. book review by Garrison Keillor, he didn't like it

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/books/review/29keillor.html

Interesting read...the review I mean.

[donco6]

20. Keillor's review is scathing.

His conclusion: this is a book for the French. And furthermore, it misinforms the French as to what Americans are about. Unless you're fat.

It's hilarious.

[CottonBear]

22. Link to the actual text of the NYT review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/books/review/29keillor.html?_r=1

[Hamlette]

25. it is funny, I decided not to read the book after the review, the author

might have other stuff out there worth reading, but this doesn't seem to be it.

[CottonBear]

27. Here are a list of some of his other books:

Le testament de Dieu
L'ideologie française
Les derniers jours de Charles Baudelaire
Mondrian
Le Jugement dernier, a play
Bernard-Henri Lévy, War, Evil and End of History, Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, October 2004, hardcover, 400 pages, ISBN 0715633368
Bernard-Henri Lévy, Who Killed Daniel Pearl?, Melville House Publishing, September 2003, hardcover, 454 pages, ISBN 0971865949
Bernard-Henri Levy, translated by Andrew Brown, Sartre: The Philosopher of the Twentieth Century, Polity Press, July 2003, hardcover, 456 pages, ISBN 074563009X
Edited by Bernard-Henry Lévy, What Good Are Intellectuals: 44 Writers Share Their Thoughts, Algora Publishing, 2000, paperback, 276 pages, ISBN 1892941104
Bernard Henri Lévy, Richard Veasey, Adventures on the Freedom Road Harvill Press (an imprint of Random House), 1995, hardcover, ISBN 1860460356

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard-Henri_Levy

[CottonBear]

21. LOL! I love Keillor. I'm still going to read Levy's book though.

Hint: use [e-mail] and dailykos to access the NYT website article.