Hitchens speaks with a bit of clarity at the HuffPo:
Let me give a very direct instance of what I mean. We have recently learned that the NSA used law enforcement agencies to track members of a pacifist organisation in Baltimore. This is, first of all, an appalling abuse of state power and an unjustified invasion of privacy, uncovered by any definition of “national security” however expansive. It is, no less importantly, a stupid diversion of scarce resources from the real target. It is a certainty that if all the facts were known we would become aware of many more such cases of misconduct and waste.
We are, in essence, being asked to trust the state to know best. What reason do we have for such confidence? The agencies entrusted with our protection have repeatedly been shown, before and after the fall of 2001, to be conspicuous for their incompetence and venality. No serious reform of these institutions has been undertaken or even proposed: Mr George Tenet (whose underlings have generated leaks designed to sabotage the Administration’s own policy of regime-change in Iraq, and whose immense and unconstitutionally secret budget could not finance the infiltration of a group which John Walker Lindh could join with ease) was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
I believe the President when he says that this will be a very long war, and insofar as a mere civilian may say so, I consider myself enlisted in it. But this consideration in itself makes it imperative that we not take panic or emergency measures in the short term, and then permit them to become institutionalised. I need hardly add that wire-tapping is only one of the many areas in which this holds true.
That will leave a mark.
searp
The political strategy of this administration since 9/11 has been to sow panic and label its detractors unpatriotic and possibly traitors.
Seem like Hitchens saw this after almost 5 years. Many, many other people, people less “involved” than Hitchens, saw it long ago. I suppose I should say welcome to the reality-based community.
Marcus Wellby
Be interesting to see how the upcoming smearing of Hitch (one of the wars larges supporters) will play out.
The Other Steve
Hitchens is a drunken hack. He’s the kind of person the saying “With friends like these who needs enemies” applies aptly.
Look at this nonsense…
The war did not beget the emergency measures… The emergency measures beget the war. That is, Bush knew to get this shit passed he had to scare the public and the war was an enabler.
This is not to say that there was not a real fight to be waged post 9/11. It is to say that Bush took advantage of that to do something else unrelated.
Hitchens will come to realize that some day. After he’s sobered up a bit. But he’ll never acknowledge the failure, and he’ll never apologize for calling people names. And that’s what makes him a hack.
LITBMueller
What the hell is this, Hitch? Buyer’s remorse????
Mr. Hitchens with your writings about Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, and appearances on the 24 Hour Cable News Shouting Matches wearing your Iraqi flag lapel pin (which I noticed you weren’t wearing on Tucker Carlson’s show last night), you contributed GREATLY to the very “panic” over “Isalmic fascism” you are now decrying.
I’m sorry…but you can’t have it both ways.
And yet, this is, in essence, precisely what you urged everyone to do when dealing with Iraq.
Christopher Hitchens certainly is an excellent writer, and he apparently has a brain. But, he is also a fool.
Lines
Shorter Hitchens: “Bush may beat me with a phonebook every night before bed, but I still love him”
slide
I hate that I am on the same side of ANY issue with that bloviating drunkard. No, not John, Hitch.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Why do so many lefties turn up their noses at disillusioned right-wing “refugees?” Because Hitch didn’t agree with you from the start, you hold him in contempt for agreeing with you now? Hey, your side needs all the support it can get, so standards for ideological purity are short sighted and, ultimately, self-destructive.
Sojourner
Just when it looked like Hitch had stopped drinking long enough to begin to see reality, it ends with a loyalty oath to Bush. What an ass.
John Cole
I think you need to look into Hitchen’s background some more.
Charlie (Colorado)
The NSA used “law enforcement agencies” to track pacifists in Baltimore?
I don’t theeeeeeeenk so, Cisco.
The FBI and CIA. Maybe even the DIA. But NSA? Nah. That’s HUMINT. Might as well tell me about Rabbi Mueller’s pork roast recipe.
Lines
Robot Boy, Hitchens and his ilk will never apologize for what they’ve done. Without that acknowledgement, without an apology, how can we begin to trust them? They led us into a false war, gave us false promises, false hopes. They lied to us, right to our face!
Now shut up Randy
Jack Roy
Hardly. Once it comes out that Mr. Hitchens didn’t honorably earn his liberal-hawk credentials (and perhaps threw those credentials over the fence in a protest, but maybe not the credentials themselves but only the ribbons attached to them and which is it Senator!!!, and once was photographed with Jane Fonda!), the American people will come to see him for what he is.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Isn’t he the classic “used to be a hardcore Euro-liberal but I saw the light of the right (at least when it came to war)” type?
ppGaz
Has Darrell been notified?
tb
No, go to Daily Kos or any big liberal blog- they always give wingers credit for their moments of clarity.
Sojourner
9/11 turned him into a pro-Bush chicken shit.
The Other Steve
Hitch isn’t right-wing.
He’s just a hack.
For the record… So is Ariana Huffington, IMHO.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Forget Hitch – Grover Norquist now wants “Congress to hold open, substantive oversight hearings examining the President’s authorization of the National Security Agency (NSA) to violate domestic surveillance requirements outlined in the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).”
jcricket
This is a momemt of clarity from Hitchens, who is otherwise so strung-out and paranoid about the threat of terrorism that he’s willing to hand over the keys to his house, car, retirement fund, etc. to anyone who claims they will “win the war on terrorism”.
Dennis Miller is another. They both think that anyone who doesn’t view every decision through the prism of “terrorists are out to get us” is thinking the wrong way.
Pussies.
jcricket
And, for the record, this leftie doesn’t turn up his nose at former right-wing refugees (see John Cole). I just get annoyed with John when he seems too willing to look for any example of Democratic excess as a way to keep himself out of the warm, soothing embrace of the party he is already a part of
:)
The Other Steve
… to change the topic of the discussion, cause he’s in hot water.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
That also crossed my mind.
Cyrus
Is it fair to call this guy a chickenhawk?
Chickenhawk accusations in general – pointless. Ad hominem attack rather than addressing the issues. We’re supposed to be led by civilians and all that, so there’s no reason why non-combatants couldn’t support a war. Even if it’s true that the people in charge of a war didn’t have the courage of their convictions when the chance existed to serve their country that way, it doesn’t mean the war itself is wrong or unnecessary. I know all those good reasons not to throw the “chickenhawk” label at anyone who supports the war but is not currently overseas, as some people do.
But Hitchens is egotistical or delusional enough to say that writing articles in support of the war is in any way comparable to being in harm’s way or at least working for the armed forces in some career capacity? Jesus. That deserves some kind of insult. If “chickenhawk” is inaccurate or tainted by misuse, what should we call it?
Pb
Cyrus,
He’s definitely part of the 101st fighting keyboarders, alright.
OCSteve
Hitch, Hitch, Hitch. My esteem for you went way up after your Galloway smack-down. Now this…
Look around you at the people who are using you here. CAIR for Christ’s sake? The ACLU? Dude, you’re known by the company you keep…
BadTux
Huh. Not too bad for a drunkard. Took him only 5 years to figure out that his Dear Leader was in fact a common street thug. Give him another 5 years, he may even dry out enough to admit that the entire “War on Terror” is as bogus as a $3 bill.
– Badtux the Snarky Penguin
Angry Engineer
It’s already started in the comments at LGF, where as previously anything Hitchens wrote was hailed as neocon gospel (anyone that’s surprised should raise their hand).
I agree with Gold Star for Robot Boy – the fact that Grover Norquist has taken issue with the whole wiretapping debacle is far bigger news, considering his significant role in the Republican party over the last dozen or so years. I sense an awakening of sorts.
OCSteve, it’s possible to be offended by Galloway and at the same time think that unwarranted wiretapping is a huge problem. I see no inconsistancy there.
Jorge
Hitchens is about 3 years behind Andrew Sullivan now. But they’ll still slam anyone who oppossed the invasion of Iraq in the first place. Hitch, like Sully, have never realized that many war critics knew form day one that there was a huge difference between a hypothetical invasion of an armed Iraq by a capable and honest US POTUS and a trumped-up war against a weapons inspected Iraq by an incompetent liar of a POTUS.
It is a weird disconnect. Maybe its because they are self-proclaimed intellectuals that they feel that there is no distinction between intellectual scenarios and the way things play out in the real world.
The Other Steve
That may be it. The difference between theory and practice.
Steve
I think a lot of people like Sullivan, Hitchens, et al. simply had a visceral reaction that anyone who urged moderation following 9/11 was simply “not serious about our national security.”
It’s taken a while for them to realize that it’s not enough to do something in response to 9/11; it’s also important to do the right thing.
DougJ
Does Hitchens have something — gasp — to hide? Was he talking to terrorists like Christine Alqaedapour and her traitor husband Jamie Cuban? If not, why is he so scared of having his phone tapped? Me thinks he doth protest too much.
LITBMueller
Or maybe Hitch was sending text messages to – gasp- Richard Perle!!!
Hitch: Did u see shock n awe? Awesome!
Perle: we r kickin saddams ass!
Hitch: Did u and Wolfie crack a beer?
Perle: Me Rummy & Wolfie got drunk while watchin it
Hitch: Tell Doug F. I said hi!
Perle: Rock on! Will let u know about plans for iran tomorrow.
rilkefan
Norquist has (had?) some serious connections to Muslim groups. He may have a personal stake. I’d expect to see more on the hard right turn against him (some I think did after 9/11).
Darrell
Yup
Kimmitt
Refugees come over to find relief. Hitch came over to drink all of our scotch, make a pass at our sister, piss on the rug, and leave behind a few thou in gambling debts. Some folks get warmer welcomes than others.