It wasn't a debate

George Galloway and Christopher Hitchens just squared off on BookTV in a debate about the merits of the Iraq war devolving into some mudslinging about Katrina.

Amy Goodman moderated - if you can call a far left radical a 'moderator' - seems like an oxymoron. I like to watch Amy on her program on rare occasions just to observe the clearly advanced stages of dementia that the far left has embraced.

Being interested in an articulate debate on the topic from opposite perspectives I was disappointed by hearing only half the debate - the other half was classic agitprop theater. I hadn't heard George Galloway before but now can see him clearly as an old school union boss. His use of the audience and his slick sloganeering were masterful - yet underneath the veneer there was simply no reasonable rationale - the man's viewpoint was exposed as simply old line socialism that describes capitalists as evil and the bondage of the common man to the snares of the wealthy. I guess no one told him that the 20th century had passed along with the Soviets and Big Labor.

Christopher Hitchens pulled off his side of the debate rather well despite being derided as a 'popinjay' which he accepted as proper since he was literally a target for those who tried to shout him off the stage.

The audience response was also revealing, the left wing extremists nearly apoplectic that he should spout such heresies that dare challenge them.  In fact several times Hitchens had to rebuke the crowd for such shameful behavior. The supporters of Hitchens (termed by Galloway to be the 'far right fringe which is fading from existence') were respectful and civil in stark comparison.

At the end as the left wing mob was booing Hitchens about his Katrina statements, I couldn't help but think about the rather embarrassing interview that Dean Reynold's had with the SuperDome evacuees after Bush's speech on Thursday night. This transcript shows clearly how obvious the bias and Bush baiting is in the MSM.

The show airs again on Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning - or watch the RealVideo clip or buy the DVD here.

I expect that the obvious Socialist support demonstrated above will add to John Tierney's discussion tonight on BookTV called "The Politics of Peace: What's Behind the Anti-War Movement"

(H/T Richard Bennett for ABC footage and link)

UPDATE:
More Galloway and Hitchens analysis:
Marc Cooper posts Mr. Galloway, Please Go Home
Michael Totten posts The Swamp Thing

H/T Richard Bennett

Comments

[Dan]

I caught the debate with a liberal New Yorker. She was amazed that Galloway could get away saying what he was saying, in the city of the 9/11 attacks, while Hitchens was being booed. I think "Why?!?" was her refrain