William Buckley Vs Gore Vidal

As referenced by others, this memorable segment closes with Buckley's threats as a WW II infantryman to slug Vidal and Vidal suggesting Buckley wasn't after all an infantryman. I looked it up. In the Feb. 27, 2008 New York Times Book section, Buckley's (favorable) biographer San Tanenhaus is asked about his infantry service. Here is Tanenhaus' response:

"He served in the U.S. Army but did not make it overseas. He did, however, oversee a sexual hygiene operation on a base in Texas."

"go back to your pornography" rotfl! I wish we had gentlemanly political discussions like this on television today.

Was it a tradition for Buckley to physically threaten guests or was it just with Vidal and Chomsky?

@madmusk: Any time Buckley was foolish enough to allow someone with brains on his pathetic pre-Faux-News nazi-gab-fest . . . the likelihood is own intellectual shortcomings would be quickly demonstrated and he would resort to his nancy-boy prepr school threats , , , which he couldn't back up in a million years.

He was joking with Chomsky, making fun of himself for blowing up on Vidal.

Crypto-Nazi is my middle name!

"and you'll scchtay plastered." I am not even sure what that means, but you gotta love the delivery and the facial expression that went with it.

I guess it meant that Vidal would be flat on his ass forever after Buckley "socked him in the goddamned face."

Buckley was cleaning Vidal's clock, so Vidal responded the only way his meager intellect would allow: with an ad hominem attack.

Vidal has always been rude and pompous, and he was lucky his similar baiting of Norman Mailer on the Dick Cavett Show didn't end with Mailer literally stabbing him.