Christopher Hitchens is a rarity in today’s world–a brilliant and independent thinker who is not tied down to a political party, whose positions evolve with maturity and new information, and who can cut through bullshit of all kinds with an elegant and biting writing and speaking style. (Added bonus points: He wrote a very nice endorsement of my upcoming book, “Losing My Religion.”)
In Slate, Hitchens just endorsed Obama for president. Given the emphasis Hitchens places on the war on terror and national security, the McCain-Palin ticket had to be particularly unappealing for him to back the Democrats. Hitchens lays it all out, in words I wished I could use. He was able to crystalize my feelings about McCain, Palin and other GOP leaders this election. Here are some highlights from the Hitchens’ piece.
Last week’s so-called town-hall event showed Sen. John McCain to be someone suffering from an increasingly obvious and embarrassing deficit, both cognitive and physical. And the only public events that have so far featured his absurd choice of running mate have shown her to be a deceiving and unscrupulous woman utterly unversed in any of the needful political discourses but easily trained to utter preposterous lies and to appeal to the basest element of her audience.
Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear had to feel sorry for the old lion on his last outing and wish that he could be taken somewhere soothing and restful before the night was out. The train-wreck sentences, the whistlings in the pipes, the alarming and bewildered handhold phrases—”My friends”—to get him through the next 10 seconds.
[snip]
The most insulting thing that a politician can do is to compel you to ask yourself: “What does he take me for?” Precisely this question is provoked by the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin.
[snip]
With McCain, the “experience” is subject to sharply diminishing returns, as is the rest of him, and with Palin the very word itself is a sick joke. One only wishes that the election could be over now and a proper and dignified verdict rendered, so as to spare democracy and civility the degradation to which they look like being subjected in the remaining days of a low, dishonest campaign.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Wil // Oct 15, 2008 at 4:44 am
Brilliant.
2 Jenny // Oct 15, 2008 at 11:26 am
Uh — Hitchins “not” tied down to a political party?
ARe you serious??
3 Thranil // Oct 15, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Jenny,
He has been a Bush supporter for quite some time. Now he’s advocating voting for Obama. So on the surface it appears that he is not tied down to a particular political party… what are you referring to?
4 Jenny // Oct 15, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Hi Thranil – I never knew he was a Bush supporter – I thought the opposite was true. Isn’t he the guy who writes for Vanity Fair?
p.s. – anybody seen theis?
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=195153
5 Tim Stroud // Oct 16, 2008 at 4:18 am
When you say:
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” I think you do not give yourself enough credit. Try.
And you give the name “Christopher Hitchins” too much credit.
But I do not see any great insight on Hitchins part.
Except maybe where he says in the referenced Slate piece that – on the issues “there really isn’t a very sharp or highly noticeable distinction to be made between the two nominees”.
And all he says in your snips from the piece is McCain is old and getting older by the day; and Palin is a political manipulator who hasn’t a clue about national issues.
Hmm, can’t really argue with those facts as observed.
So he chooses the young new guy over the old-timer.
Six of one, half-dozen of the other.
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