Christoper Hitchens picks a Democratic Candidate

[cryofan]

His editors asked him to pick the best candidate for this column.
Pretty good stuff. Four paragraphs excerpted here:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

With this in mind, one reviews the current Democratic "field." I claim no prescience for predicting the implosion of Howard Dean: He was obviously very lucky to get as far as the governorship of Vermont. A man who will say anything to any audience if he thinks it will raise the roof is a candidate to be shunned: It should have been all over when he trashed his Hippocratic oath to invent a story about an incest victim from his physician's office. Think of all the money he raised and squandered: It would have been far better spent donated to the reconstruction of Iraq. His entire campaign was, to borrow one of his sillier slogans, a distraction from the hunt for al-Qaida.

Dennis Kucinich is the sort of guy who we need in politics. He thinks long-term, and he doesn't think that in the short or long term it pays to trade principles for compromises. That's the attitude one wants in a president, of any party. This, however, is probably not the year for a man who basically believes in the downsizing of the United States.

Wesley Clark is a loss to the United States armed forces, and President Clinton and Defense Secretary Cohen ought to have been excoriated for firing him when they did, as well as for how they did it. Many Kosovars owe their lives to Clark, and the victory won in that war also helped to bring at least a semblance of democracy to Serbia. But there's something bizarre about a conceited man in uniform who now can't remember which regime-change he favored or why, which party he belongs to, or which "faith-based" community he espouses. He also has a weakness for half-cooked conspiracy stories and gets snappish when he's questioned on the last weird thing he said. Again, beware of those who run to pacify their internal demons.

John Kerry should decide whether he's a moral hero for fighting in a futile and filthy war against the Vietnamese revolution, or for protesting against that war. Can I guess from his demeanor which of the two was his "noble cause"? No. Shouldn't I know by now? Yes, I should, since it's not evident at this relatively late date whether or not he's proud of voting to remove Saddam Hussein. As with most senior Democrats, Kerry's revolving-door record with lobbyists and donors is one to make Cheney and Bush look like amateurs: As with all Democratic primary seasons there is an agreement to forget this collectively in the interests of "change." That's why Lucy in "Peanuts" has become a great national character.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Hitchens winds up picking Edwards, whom he describes as a "good man who is in politics for good reasons" and one who "earned his money from fighting large and negligent corporations rather than from fawning on them."

He likes a Edwards-Kerry ticket.

Well, I have gone from Dean to Kucinich to Gephardt to Clark. But earnest people (as Hitchens appears to be) keeping saying bad things about him. I have only heard Clark's supporters say good things about him, which is telling.

Salon also mentioned some of the candidates in passing tonight, and they were most positive about Edwards.

I might have to make Edwards my guy. Not that it will likely matter...

A bit more here:
http://slate.msn.com/toolbar.aspx?action=read&id=2095158

[aquart]

1. And those of us with a long memory

are just going to run right out and vote for Hitchens' choice.

Uh huh.

[Jerseycoa]

2. Good luck with your latest

:hi:

[glarius]

3. Are you seriously admiring Hitchens?....He's a hate-filled sot who

among other things wrote a book demonizing Mother Theresa....Uuugghh!

[dsc]

4. sadly all it takes for some people to quote an author here

is for them to tell stories that make Dean look bad.

[Bombtrack]

15. Or maybe it's a career of brilliant and respected journalism

sorry if he's a maverick thinker and an intellectual, both things Dean wishes he was and implies he is but never has been close to being

[dsc]

35. He has stated repeatedly

he would vote for Bush. He is so in favor of the war in Iraq that he called the death of Iraquis justified. And, he perjured himself to smear Blumenthal. Deliver us from that kind of Maverick.

[glarius]

43. A maverick thinker and an intellectual?...Surely you jest

He takes glee in being obnoxiously contrary....I'm not defending Dean, I just find Hitchens repulsive.:)

[edzontar]

57. Hitchens is a self-proclaimed Bush-supporter and enemy of

The "left."

And some of us still remember his personal involvement in the Clinton impeachment effort, which involved a Judas-betrayal of his friend, Sid Blumenthal.

An endorsement from Hitchens would be considered a kiss of death by any true Democrat or progressive.

[KoKo]

72. Hitchens lost it all during Clinton Impeachment. Read what Blumenthal

said about him in his book. They were buddies until Hitch went into a bad divorce and started hitting the bottle too much.

I used to admire him in the mid-nineties.....until he became a drunk who was on the "dole" from the same sources that impeached Clinton. He did a 360 turn and became a drunken whore hanging out with the Coulter types skulking around Faux News and on the fringes everywhere.

He's such an embarassment even Tweety hasn't had him on. And, Tweety used to love it when Hitch was trashing Clinton/Gore.

I wouldn't trust a word the sodden hack typed on his computer...if he can find the letters....he probably has a paid hack to do it for him.

Hitchens = :puke:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

31. Mabye You Should Have Read The Book..

Some of his criticisam of Mother Theresa was over the top but she wasn't the cardboard saint some of her admirers made her out to be...

[glarius]

42. I would say most of his criticism of her was over the top

Of course she wasn't a saint...but really....He's a hate filled man...I've seen him up here on TV in Canada, sitting with his drink in hand, spewing his venom....He disgusts me....:)

[Jim Sagle]

5. Hitchens ain't nuthin' but shit and neither are any of his critiques.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[el_gato]

49. Hitchens is a hack

He sold his soul right after 9/11.

[Bombtrack]

50. Because anybody who disagrees with the anti-war people are soulless right?

You people are really selling me with you're namecalling

[Jim Sagle]

63. Hitchens ranted about Clinton's cock for eight years. Fuck'm.

[The Magistrate]

64. Indeed, My Friend

Hitchens is a soused pickle who can never be forgivemn for his stalwart service to the reactionaries during their attempted coup in '98. My memory in such matters is long, and there is nothing this wretch could do that might rehabilitate him.

[ngGale]

67. Well, maybe this is one time Hitchens didn't have a drink...

before he made up his mind. I tend to agree with him and I do like the way he put Kerry as Vice. Haven't seen that one before! :)

[The Magistrate]

77. His Precise Degree Of Intoxication Is Immaterial, Ma'am

He signed on with the reactionaries' attempted coup against President Clinton: for that there can be no forgiveness and no mercy. It does not matter if the motions of the reptile's mouth occassionally emit something in rough accord with a human's perceptions; the creature is mere fertilizer, nothing more, and anything useful it utters can be found in some other, more wholesome source.

[Jim Sagle]

81. Hey, you're stealing my lines. (Refurbishing them quite nicely, too.)

;-)

[Hoppin_Mad]

6. I wouldn't wipe my ass with a Hitchens article if I was out of TP ! -nt-

[Rich Hunt]

59. now, now ...

That's not a very 'intellectual' thing to say.

:evilgrin:

[Tim_in_HK]

7. All I can say regarding his comments on Clark are

Huh?

None of those make sense to me, and I thought I was pretty aware of the arguments against Clark.

[Uzybone]

8. Snitchens???

the man is an insane drunkard.

[Bombtrack]

11. that's absolute garbage. The drunk charge was nothing but libel

I believe from the right.

[dsc]

36. If he isn't a drunkard

I don't know who is. That alone, doesn't make him a bad journalist but he is a drunkard by any reasonable meaning of the word.

[glarius]

44. He's been on TV in Canada with drink in hand spewing his venom

I've seen him....:)

[KoKo]

73. Have you seen him on C-Span? Unkempt, Smelly looking, disheveled and

slurring his words so bad that if he didn't have some intelligence left in his brain it would be so incoherent they would get "the hook" to drag him off.

He's a disgusting sell out piece of garbage.

[fishnfla]

78. Smelly looking??

I am dying here!LOL

[glarius]

84. Smelly looking is an apt description of the bum...he looks like he smells!

n/t

[Bombtrack]

9. the huge # of DUers who'r obsessivly anti-war are anti-hitchens

because of the narrow-mindedness of that mindset the obsessivly anti-war seem to have adopted.

Hitchens is still a brilliant writer, and an always enjoyable read.

Although he's obviously gone a little overboard in bashing the left as of late. I'm always up for some self examintion as a left-leaning person, and he makes alot of good points in his columns about the demagoguishness as it pertains to alot of the anti-war people.

He's one of the reasons I don't call myself anti or pro-Iraq war.

I think that removing Saddam threw NATO or the UN would have been much more prudent than leaving him in power to become a threat down the road and to allow illiberalism in the Islamic world, but that it probably wasn't worth it to go in without the UN or NATO

[eileen_d]

13. I'm not "obsessively anti-war"

I'm calmly anti-Iraq war, and I'm anti-Hitchens. He's a pretentious pseudo-intellectual as far as I'm concerned.

[Bombtrack]

14. "pseudo-intellectual" ?

That's a rediculous label. Unless you presume to label anyone not on the left or in the Iraq-anti-war camp as undeserving or unable of being intellectual. He has a grace with the language and a dedication to study that has given him the worldwide esteem and respect in the intellectual and academic community which anyone can see. And only people on either fringe would deny him the credit that his skills and abilities in journalism are rivaled by only an elite few

[eileen_d]

16. Well - you're wrong.

I do not "presume to label anyone not on the left or in the Iraq-anti-war camp as undeserving or unable of being intellectual."

I am as entitled to my opinion of Hitchens as anyone else, and having that opinion does not automatically make me on the "fringe" of anything. You are entitled to your opinion as well, and I am able to resist the temptation to label you.

[Bombtrack]

23. What plateau does one have to cross to be a real intellectual to you

because obviously he hasn't met it according to you

[eileen_d]

60. My comments are about Hitchens, and I stand by them.

There is no need for me to go into detail about how I judge all non-Hitchens humans on the planet.

[mikehiggins]

69. The plateau labelled "honorable" and "ethical" for one. eom

[AliceWonderland]

17. Actually

I find Hitchens neither brilliant nor an enjoyable read. And I am allowed to hold that opinion no matter how I stand on any political issue. The man is simply a opportunistic bore who fancies himself a "contrarian" and an "outsider."

Because, you know, only a rebel outsider bashes the left.

[ludwigb]

18. Give me an f-ing break

All you're doing is reciting their talking points. I for one am not going to take HItchnen's garbage and continue to call him a "brilliant writer". The guy has neither a sense of fairness or a sense of intellectual honesty, and his thinking tends towards radicalism and warmongering.

[Bombtrack]

21. "their" talking points?

oh, who are they, those fools who read and listen to writers and journalists who don't reenforce their opinions to pacify their ideologies?

Sorry, it's very sheepish and babyish to call a writer stupid and refuse to read them just because they have a differing viewpoint on any issue, no matter how major.

As if I anyone else shouldn't read his in depth article about Indonesia in Vanity Fair because he agrees with the neocons on Iraq.

[Nazgul35]

70. Good question...

in post #50...you said:

You people are really selling me with you're namecalling

Who are "you people?"

You are making heroic assumptions in your multiple posts about the intellectual capacities of people on this board who have taken exception to Hitchens...

Perhaps that self examination you suggest that others so readily avoid is not just need by them....

I have always found that people are ready to accuse others of the very things they are afraid exists in themselves....

PS: Hitchens is a cheap hack of Dennis Miller proportions...and for someone who is supposed to be a scholar on Orwell, his lack of comparison to the current regime and 1984 are kinda weak....

Do you believe that his Disney Land tour of Iraq, and subsequent approval and statement that all was well is the true reality of the situation in Iraq......

If you believe he is an intellectual...do you believe in intellectual dishonesty?

[KoKo]

74. I'm obsessivly "Anti-Iraq Invasion" but Hitchens is a smelly whore.

:D

[tobius]

10. very good

"His entire campaign was, to borrow one of his sillier slogans, a distraction from the hunt for al-Qaida."

going to bed now- can't stop laughing :hi:

[charlie]

19. What's this, Chris?

"Do such smart people really wish that Michael Dukakis had been president when Saddam invaded Kuwait..."

Hitchens opposed the first Gulf War.

"One ought therefore to begin by eliminating all those who are running for some kind of therapeutic or Oedipal reason. (This doesn't cost much: It would only have deprived us of Kennedy, Nixon, Hart, and Clinton in the recent past..."

Where's Bush, Chris? If anyone has the Beat Daddy to Impress Mama pathology, it's Dubya. Where's Bush?

"Kerry's revolving-door record with lobbyists and donors is one to make Cheney and Bush look like amateurs..."

Whatever can be said about Kerry's being on the corporate tit (and I'm not interested in arguing about whether he is or isn't right now), to suggest he's benefitted to the extent that Bush / Cheney have from the likes of Halliburton, Brown and Root, and Enron beggars belief.

"I'm a single-issue person at present, and the single issue in case you are wondering is the tenacious and unapologetic defense of civilized societies against the intensifying menace of clerical barbarism. If in the smallest doubt about this, I would suggest a vote for the re-election of George Bush, precisely because he himself isn't prey to any doubt on the point..."

Of course he can't be unaware that the man who's captured his admiration, the man enamored with the idea of remaking whole swathes of the globe through the force of will (with nuclear bunkerbusters and space-based weapons if need be), is himself in thrall of a religious end-times sect.

My nickel and dime theory on Hitchens:

It's no secret that he's an unabashed admirer of Orwell. And he's getting on in years. I think he's despaired of ever having his Catalonia moment, being truly disillusioned and shocked out of the constraints of his beliefs, where he can finally stand unencumbered by ideology and declare himself a free thinker. He seized on 911, rather than it seizing him, as a rationale to declare his freedom. And now he comforts himself with the notion that merely being a contrarian amidst his old circle of friends is liberation. He knows better. It can't have escaped his notice that he's become an apologist for the current Orwellian turn in US affairs. In time, I'll bet the dissonance will drive him mad. He's already halfway there.

[Bombtrack]

24. read this interview of him

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11241 (part 1)
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11253 (part 2)

I read him alot and I still think he's always a good read, even when I disagree with him, which is obviously often. He's quite stubborn, but he's slowly admitting that he overestimated Bush somewhat.

[chefgirl]

39. Well that just about says it all doesn't it?

If all he can manage to do is admit he overestimated Bush "somewhat" then his spots are showing, as they say.

The most charitable thing one could say about Hitchens is that he is just about the very embodiment of intellectual dishonesty. There are a million less charitable things one could say about him, but that would just be wayyyyy too easy.

You go ahead and enjoy his writing all you want, but it feels like drinking the Kool Aid to me.

-chef-

[glarius]

47. I think what he is doing is getting ready to jump off a sinking ship

He's an opportunist....He sees Bush's star falling!

[lancdem]

65. I'm glad to see he's admitting to overestimating Bush

even if it is just "somewhat."

[Bread and Circus]

20. Sorry but, Hitchens seems like a fool to me....and a baby...

The way he quit The Nation because no one agreed with him
makes him seem like a spoiled child.

I don't trust that dude.

[JNelson6563]

22. HItchens is a drunken asshole

And I've long known this to be true. Sad to see DUers admiring him.

Julie

[Bombtrack]

25. It's sad to see DUers namecalling and repeating unsubstantied

and irrelevant if true right-wing originated smears.

[JNelson6563]

26. Apparently you've never seen Hitchens

trashing the left repeatedly on TV. Or you have and you agreed with him?

Julie

[Bombtrack]

28. No, I've never seen him doing that

I rarely see him on tv anymore, but he never makes ad hominem, unsubstantiated attacks like "leftists are drunken assholes"

He expresses his problems with people on the left and sometimes he uses real invective but he isn't even a right-winger. He stands by 95 percent of all the left-wing writing he's ever done, including the fabulous expose on Kissenger.

[JNelson6563]

51. I see, you've never seen him but you know

what he does or doesn't say.

Interesting.

Did you by chance also write reports on the Wellstone memorial after not seeing it? I think I recognize your style of commentary on things unseen....

Julie

[KoKo]

75. Bombtrack , it's possible you are young enough that you might not know

Hitchen's history. The fact that some have watched him for many years and find him repulsive, might seem odd to you, if you don't know the history.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

80. You do know that Hitchens...

was the inspiration for one of the three main characters in Thomas Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities", yes?

The dissipated, drunk, Brit journalist who had sold his soul was widely known to be a very insightful characterization of ol' Hitch. Wolfe is know to be one of the keenest observers of New York literati.

He had him nailed.

[Turkw]

27. on Clark, could it not be that people who have good things to say about

him pretty much think highly enough of him to support his candidacy? I have read from fellow officers, from junior to general, enlisted, former diplomats, such as the 55 who recently endorsed Clark, to environmentalists and progressive thinkers and writers. Usually the people who have bad things to say are either supporters of other candidates, usually Bush, or rivals, or both- i.e. .Sheldon.

[Bombtrack]

29. exactly

Hitchens seems to have bought into a bit too much in regards to anti-Clark stuff. But it's not like he's a political journalist anymore. He's all about the struggle between the west and "islamofascism" as he puts it

[AliceWonderland]

30. Well, his "islamofascism" is purile

tripe -- does the man know what fascism is? ah, of course he does, since he's the current incarnation of the great Orwell! let's nuke those uncivilized bastards and make the desert glow! -- but frankly, there's more at issue than his opinions. In terms of his talent (which you seem very impressed by), I can't be bothered to take him seriously. He's a pompous blowhard who has no elegance or skill when it comes to writing. He thinks sneering is wit, but witty he ain't. He bores me. His opportunistic seizing of 9-11 bores me to tears.

I have no problem reading and appreciating opinions I disagree with. I often find them interesting and challenging. But Hitchens is just a bloviating buffoon.

[Bombtrack]

32. He never advocates nuking anybody

he often points out that Islamic "leaders" have fostered the part of the world into one that is the greatest violator of progressive principals.

[AliceWonderland]

33. Ah

I was just cheerfully falling back on that old stand-by: "nuke 'em, make the desert glow!" I wasn't suggesting that Mr. Hitchens wants to turn the uncivilized world into a sheet of glass. He probably doesn't, at least not until after his ninth martini.

But aside from the fact that he doesn't seem to know what fascism is, he's still a bloviating ass.

[glarius]

45. Hitchens is a drunken Dennis Miller with a British accent

....Both have changed sides, left to right, because they have deemed it more profitable in the current political climate in America....These people have no real convictions.....

[deminflorida]

34. Have another shot of Vodka....mate.....someone please direct

him to the local AA chapter, he's in need of serious help.

[spooky3]

37. While I certainly agree with his assessment of Edwards

I think he's totally wrong about Dean and way too harsh with the other candidates.

[T_i_B]

38. Here's some pro BUSH stuff from Hitchens

because he is pro-Bush really.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,636241,00.html

[chefgirl]

40. Thanks for that link

I don't think you could have chosen a better example of exactly what most folks in this thread have said about him.

My favorite line illustrates perfectly the intellectual dishonesty I mentioned earlier:

>>There are times when its reassuring to be uninspired.<<

While, grammatically, that sentence fits into the structure of a paragraph about how ordinary and pedestrian Bush is intellectually, just consider for a moment the spirit of the comment as it stands alone.

I don't know about anyone else here, but I've never personally been reassured by any leader on the world stage who is unable, and worse, uninterested in inspiring people.

Anyone who could read his ramblings, and try to defend his abilities with a straight face, could only be either duped or deluded.

-chef-

[T_i_B]

46. Plenty of crap statements in that article

such as The moral and political universe turns on the axis of 11 September.
(It does no such thing. It turns on the same moral principles it has always done.)

and In general, he has eschewed the temptations of posturing or grandstanding. which I am sure DUers can easily refute with any number of examples.

All in all, it's a good example of why I tend to take Hitchens with a hefty pinch of salt.

[IrateCitizen]

41. Y'know, I used to actually appreciate Hitchens in The Nation...

... because even if I didn't agree with him, he at least presesented a somewhat contrarian point of view. Granted, you had to wade through a fair amount of haughty sneering and self-righteousness to get to that point of view, but it was contrarian nonetheless.

Since 9/11, he has completely fallen off the deep end, IMHO. The few times that I have actually tried reading some of his articles since that date, he has only succeeded in running around in circles -- ending up at exactly the same point at which he started but completely out of breath. He used to at least make me think -- anymore, his single-mindedness with "Islamofascism" coupled with his arrogant belief that he is somehow the modern-day Orwell just leaves me shaking my head in disappointment and disbelief.

Good riddance to bad rubbish is just about all I can say about him anymore. He's but a slight shade from Horowitz in his transformation from leftist to neoconservative.

[no name no slogan]

83. I agree with your assessment of Hitch

I really thougth the book and documentary "The Trial of Henry Kissenger" were both done pretty well, and fairly illustrated why Kissinger should be considered a war criminal.

However, since 9/11, he's become obsessed with "Islamofascism" (whatever the hell that is) to the point that it's taken over his entire literary and intellectual life.

And you're right, his little tantrum with the Nation was the act of a crybaby-- especially stating that the magazine was a tool of the CIA.
:wtf:

[NNN0LHI]

48. Shouldn't this title read: Drunk wingnut Republican picks Dem candidate?

Because that is what Hitchens is. Mama mia!

Don

[eissa]

52. His Vanity Fair articles

are good reads -- even if I don't agree with much of his analysis. I do appreciate his writings, but I understand him for what he is -- a total sell-out. He began to turn during the Lewinsky thing; I was shocked to see someone like him so offended by a blow job. But 9/11 had the same affect on him as it had on Dennis Miller -- turned them both into full-time ass-kissers for *. On Hardball not long ago he completely blew off the dem candidates, saying that none had a chance against our great leader. Asshole.

[progressivebydesign]

53. Dean got lucky FIVE times getting elected?

Oh this guy is a hack. The "incest" story, as well as the Scream speech, go down in history in companion with Gore's "inventing the internet", and "lying about Love Story". Why is this man on the GD2004 Board?

[dsc]

54. because he is anti Dean

and there are a consistent cadre of people who would post the writings of Satan to trash Dean.

[IrateCitizen]

55. And in this case, he's not far off...

... there are a consistent cadre of people who would post the writings of Satan to trash Dean.

:evilgrin: Sorry, couldn't resist.

[edzontar]

58. That's it, of course. OH, and he is pro-war and supports the deaths

of other people's sons, fathers, mothers, etc. to further his personal hatred of the Muslim religion.

Hates Catholics too.

Nice guy.

[mmonk]

56. Hitchens is a follower somewhat

of the neocon dream. I could hardly care what he thinks.

[bobbieinok]

61. wasn't Hitchens a 24/7 'Clinton basher'?

...

[revcarol]

62. Once upon a time, he wrote a good book...once upon a time.

In The Nation, his article got more and more pro-Bush, anti-Arab(notice I did not say anti- repressive Arab regime,) and more and more neo-con imperialist against Arabs anywhere there was oil(like Indonesia.)

His latest appearances on C-Span had nothing of criticism of any Republicans.

Has he signed on to PNAC yet?

Sure, I'm going to listen to this turd when I cast my vote.<sarcasm>

[stickdog]

66. The Importance of Being Ernest.

The only way Hitchings could be accused of being Ernest is if he legally changed his name.

[KoKo]

76. ROFL, Stickdog! another truth about that jerk Hitchens....n/t

[mikehiggins]

68. "I have only heard Clark's supporters say good things about him

which is telling."

Indeed.

Fifty-five foreign service officers and ambassadors endorsed Wes Clark for President. I guess you didn't hear about them.

Do you mean you didn't hear anyone on TV or cable saying something nice about Wes Clark? Who would you listen to? Hannity? O'Rielly? Linbaugh? Brit Hume?

There are any number of people who support Clark and say good things about him. If you haven't come across references to them, that is no surprise. A virtual blackout of positive news has been inplemented on MSNBC, CNN and FAUX (the WWE of Journalism) NEWS. These people aren't journalists, cryofan, they only play them on TV.

Support Edwards if you like, for as long as he's around. Just don't dismiss Wes Clark on the word of someone like Hitchens. He isn't fit to carry Clark's duffle bag.

[katieforeman]

71. Please make Edwards your guy and don't give up

I normally don't like Hitchens but he is right about Edwards.

John Edwards is the first candidate I have volunteered for and it was an incredible experience. I was in Richmond for the Jefferson-Jackson dinner. There were so many Edwards supporters from all over and they were all so energized and enthusiastic.

I really think he could be our generations JFK and he is absolutely the most electable.

[elsiesummers]

79. Edwards is great despite nutbag Hitchens' picking him.

Hitchens is really wacky - he's all over the map and a weird combination of neo-con and liberalism that's downright freaky.

Hitchens speculated that Bill Clinton was a CIA spy in England during the Vietnam war - it was in Lloyd Groves WaPost column maybe a year ago. He's a real weirdo.

Edwards is the best candidate - but please don't take Hitchens' word for it - find a better source of info.

What I like best about Edwards is his progressive approach to taxes. Especially like his emphasis on inheritence and capital gains taxes - he really goes after Republicans where they live.

[ShadowCabinet]

82. Hitchens needs to dry out first........

..before he's ready to start picking any candidate. This guy has blown any credibility he has had. He appears visibly drunk on TV, slurring his words and throwing in his hatred for the Clintons and anything Clinton-related on virtually any topic.

I recall seeing him on the old Dennis Miller show on HBO half in the bag , coming on-stage holding a tumbler of what appeared to be scotch on the rocks and drinking like a fish. He was barely coherent, let alone conscious.

Too bad there are folks who still see him as some kind of "witty Brit". He's no better than a soccer hooligan with an Oxford education.