New Hitchens Interview On Iraq

Christopher Hitchens gave an interview to the Hoover Institution on August 23rd. Thomas P.M. Barnett also quoted a Hitchens piece and praised his analysis recently.

Hot Air's Bryan is more ambivalent:

I find Christopher Hitchens to be more than a little frustrating. One the one hand, he’s a ghoul to feast on the corpse of Mother Teresa and her faith crises, doubts that show a human side that we never saw when she was alive. In fact, Hitchens’ obits betray a ghoulishness that seems to permeate his character. And then there’s his continued misunderstanding of Vietnam and the lessons of failure there. It almost seems accidental that he’s on the right side of the war in Iraq.

However, right now he's an ally:

But the fact is, Hitchens is on our side and he’s probably the war’s most articulate advocate, so we’re cheering him on.

I've always been impressed by the breadth of Hitchens' knowledge and learning. The vigor and clarity of his spoken and written word is unmatched by any of his peers. One need only pick up a Chomsky book and try to get through a chapter. Then turn the pages of a Hitchens text, enjoy his wit, appreciate the organization of his thoughts, and bring your dictionary.

Reading Hitchens, his opinions always seem to be his own, and he cannot easily be classified within the socialist, right wing, hawkish, neocon, or communist camp.

Certainly, he is an atheist, but that is one of the few labels that can be applied to Christopher Hitchens.

H/T the corner.