Hitchens v. Galloway
This week's standing-room-only debate in New York between Slate columnist Christopher Hitchens and British MP George Galloway over the war in Iraq made news in Britain, if not America.
Not that the Brits were impressed by their native-born verbal pugilists. The pro-Hitchens Daily Telegraph sniffed that the arguments amounted to the "trade-off of insults" and gave the last word to Hitchens. The pro-Galloway Guardian gave the edge to their hero, "on points," adding "but few could remember what the point was."
Listen to Democracy Now's sound bite, and you'll know why the organizers chose to import Britons to chew over America's war: because no two Americans could have insulted each with such erudite creativity.
My favorite moments: Galloway called Barbara Bush, "the Marie Antoinette of modern day American politics"--and Hitchens conceded the point with a witty anecdote. Hitchens advised the New Yorkers not to jeer at his praise of American soldiers on Iraq. "You're being televised," he said--and you could hear the pro-Galloway throng stifle themselves just a bit.
By Jefferson Morley |
September 17, 2005; 11:00 AM ET
| Category:
Americas
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Posted by: P. J. Casey | September 19, 2005 03:19 PM
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I would like to have seen them too. I liked Galloway's style when he testified befor Congress. He gave Coleman hell, But, missed the mark with Senator Levin who opposed the war.