Galloway v. Hitchens

Public discourse about the Iraq War just got dirtier--way dirtier--thanks to last night's confrontation between George Galloway and Christopher Hitchens in New York. The Mad Scotsman, looking more tanned than George Hamilton, squared off against the gin-soaked and bugged eyed apostate of the left, Christopher Hitchens.

Two angry blokes from the U.K. hurling insults at each other is not going to improve the situation in Iraq. People are still dying on an hourly basis. Then again, if I lived in New York I probably would have gone to watch this debate just for the theatrics:

The two rival titans of the raging row over Iraq engaged in an intellectual prize fight in New York last night that quickly degenerated into knock-down, drag-out bar-room brawl. Before a jeering crowd of more than 1,000 in a college auditorium, the two men - once allies on the Left - hurled invective at each other for almost two hours, until exhaustion set in. A scruffy, sweating Mr Hitchens accused Mr Galloway of being an apologist for dictators, fresh from Damascus where he had praised the 145 attacks a day by Iraqi insurgents on coalition troops . . . Mr Galloway, inexplicably tanned and looking worthy of the nickname "Gorgeous George" in a well-pressed beige suit, denounced Mr Hitchens as a former-Trotskyist stooge for a reactionary government in Washington bent on dominating the Iraqi people. "People like Mr Hitchens are willing to fight to the last drop of other people’s blood, " the MP said to wild applause."How I wish he would put on a tin hat and pick up a gun and go and fight himself."

Oona King, the Labour MP defeated by Mr Galloway at the last election, witnessed the debate and offered this review:

"I think Galloway won in terms of oratory skills . . . I think it’s great to see Britons bringing the tradition of debate to the United States. But at the end of the day, they are two very arrogant men who both have very flawed arguments."

Some transcript from the debate can be found here. The war, which by its very nature is insane, has brought out bits of insanity in all of us.

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Comments

[skumora]

I watched Christopher Hitchens on Daily Show the other day and Jon Stewart clearly gave him a hard time. It is kind of sad to see someone like him lose to a comedian. Maybe he needs to rethink his philosophy.

[Tim Lieder]

Actually most reviewers have Hitchens winning the debate by sticking to the facts whereas fat ugly Galloway went for the ad hominem from the begining and bored the hell out of everyone with his bullshit.

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[Agi T. Prop]

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