Christopher Hitchens

[wtf]

I've only recently discovered his work, he's certainly an interesting fellow, although I haven't gotten a beat on him, at least not yet.

What does everyone think of him?

[NMDemDist2]

1. .... is a Moran... a bitter nasty horrid man all around n/t

[neoteric lefty]

2. he's been very liberal in the past but he has been PRO-WAR

since the get-go. Still quite liberal but his pro-war stance has turned off a lot of democrats and progressives. You will see what everyone thinks :)

[thebigidea]

3. he summed up what I think of him at a recent BookExpo event: "Pathetic!"

[JI7]

4. he is a pro war anti islam liberal

[billbuckhead]

5. A drunken Clinton hater

:puke:

[maggrwaggr]

6. one good thing he did

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/dont_quote_me/documents/00671039.htm

A two part series in the Atlantic about Henry Kissinger, war criminal.

Other than that he seems to be a real freak.

[Hoping4Change]

7. Hitchens' former comrade, Finklestein makes toast of Hitchens

For many years Hitchens awed readers with his formidable control over the English language. Now his ego delights in testing whether, through sheer manipulation of words, he can pass off flatulent emissions as bouquets.

It perhaps would be funny watching fatuous readers fawn over gibberish - were not human life at stake. Hitchens can't believe a word he's saying. In contrast to bursting windbags like Vaclav Havel, Hitchens is too smart to take his vaporizings seriously.

..Hitchens resembles no one so much as the Polish émigré hoaxer, Jerzy Kosinski, who, ...when outed as a fraud had enough good grace, which Hitchens plainly lacks, to commit suicide.

... Hitchens is not exactly a martyr's fate defecting from The Nation, a frills-free liberal magazine, to Atlantic Monthly, the well-heeled house organ of Zionist crazies. Although Kissinger affected to be a "solitary, gaunt hero," Hitchens says, in reality he was just a "corpulent opportunist." It sounds familiar.


Entire article http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/id138.htm

[Disturbed]

8. An intellectual and at times amusing

He was a leftist who loathes Clinton. Now it seems that he is a Neocon that loathes everyone except himself. Hmmm...maybe himself, as well. I did agree with his review of The Passion.

[Hoping4Change]

10. I used to like Hitchens right up until he left The Nation.

I too liked his review of The Passion and don't shoot me but I shared alot of his opinions about Clinton.

[checks-n-balances]

9. I've been observing him for years now, and he seems so bitter

about who knows who and who knows what. He's intelligent but I think 9/11 scared him into being a real hawk (sound familiar, e.g. Dennis Miller, Zell Miller?). In all these years I've NEVER seen the man smile, let alone laugh.

I can see why it's hard to read him - he's a contradictory figure to say the least.

[sandnsea]

11. Drunken egotistical ass

Pompous, full of shit, doesn't give a crap about anything, will write anything that will sell.

[anarchy1999]

12. Don't waste your time on him. Unless you just like to get angry and

toss televisions and radios out windows.

On edit: one good thing, his relentless pursuit of Kissinger, which flys in the face of his positions now.

[General Discontent]

13. He makes a kick-ass martini

Or did I mean, he drinks a kick-ass martini?

DWolfman

[0007]

14. An asshole - end of story

[Dogmudgeon]

15. An excellent writer but devoid of ethics

He's done some good stuff (his multi-year jihad against Henry Kissinger, whom he calls a murderer) and a lot of bad stuff (his multi-year jihad against Bill Clinton, whom he calls a murderer).

He also likes to threaten people who ask him questions about his work that are a little more incisive than he'd like to answer.

He used to be the Darling of the Left. Now he's the Darling of the Right. I think the word "canvas back" could be revived for him, specifically.

--bkl

[caledesi]

16. He's usually half-smashed when speaking.

Hygienically challenged.
Nicotine rancid.
But, he can be interesting.
Overall, he's the kind of person who is smart, but likes to "go against the grain" He defeinitely likes the "shock value."


Mixed feelings here on CH.