UK: Christopher Hitchens & William F. Buckley (5/5)

In this episode of Uncommon Knowledge, Hoover Institution fellow Peter Robinson interviews Christopher Hitchens and William F. Buckley. (Filmed: 7/29/98)

For current episodes, see: http://tv.nationalreview.com

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• conservative
• national
• review
• commentary
• analysis
• documentary
• liberal
• counter
• culture
• politics
• radical
• left
• 1960s

[ArtVandalay666]

This is crap. The interviewer kisses Buckley's ass the entire time and begs the question with Hitchens to try to get him to take responsibility for Marxist state violence and Black Panther violence.

I'm not a huge Hitchens fan but this is like Fox News dressed up as intellectualism.

[CJWilly]

Jesus Christ the moderator is an ignorant scumbag!

LBJ himself said that the billions spent in Vietnam and the domestic division it caused destroyed his Great Society. The thought tortured him until the end of his days.

It's not some crazy 'Trotskyite [hand motions] world-view'.

[disamjisa]

@economist737 So true. Not enough time for it to be meaningful, an idiot host interposing himself.. we can never get these two brilliant men back, and I wish they had have had a hands-off moderator with a 90 minute conversation.

[CastleIvanhoe]

@ArtVandalay666 Exactly. The "Neo-Con" Hitchens' bargain basement sell out to the War Party in Washington is quite a humorous contrast to this.

I also agree that the interviewer here was unprofessional;nor did I have the impression WFB liked being called "Bill" by him. At least C H had the manners to say "Mr. Buckley"

[economist737]

Peter Robinson - Stephen Colbert without the irony. The edit sucked too. How much better it would have been to have Buckley and Hitchens discussing the '60s unfettered and uninterrupted for an hour.

[pullingart]

Buckley is right. The protest and movement culture was a necessary *exorcism* which we have mistaken for a *way*. Something contrary to the nature and spirit of the Constitution was forged into our makeup alongside with it. Such a condition cannot be corrected except by severe means. But we have, as I say, mistaken protest and movement culture (which is only the shepherding of sentiment and thought) for a way of life. People are more the same now than ever before, and more stupid.

[thejobloshow]

@ArtVandalay666 Would I change your opinion if I told you the host is openly apart of the Hoover Institution and thus it should be expected that the host would hold Hitchens to account?

Hitchens defended himself brilliant BTW and PBS looks good for actually having diverse opinions on the network.

This is 1000000000000 time better than FOX News.

[ArtVandalay666]

@pumkinpi2 It's even more absurd when you observe the overnight presto-change-o from the young Marxist anti-state violence Hitchens to the vulgar apologetics for state violence Hitchens of the second Iraq war.

[ArtVandalay666]

@pumkinpi2 I totally agree with you, and in doing so I must admit that it wasn't a perfect analogy on my part. You could make a much stronger argument that Buckley *should* have felt a personal responsibility for those killed in Vietnam, for the reasons you mentioned, a lot stronger argument, that is, than saying that a young Marxist activist (Hitchens) should feel personally responsible for the atrocities occurring half a world away from him that were justified by perversions of Marxism.

[pumkinpi2]

@ArtVandalay666 Ah, so you had a point, I saw only a bromide. I watched those debates, and firing line in those days. No reminder is necessary. In that Buckley had a vote, and was a citizen, then he, like all of us in those days, as these, has the blood we have split on his hands.

Hitchens called it all a crime. It would have been nice if he had the time to add more. Likely that could have been disced up nicely, and served back to him. He is a bright fellow, & earnest, but not always right

[ArtVandalay666]

@pumkinpi2 Haha...nice job completely evading the discussion and not addressing any of my arguments, sport. Clearly I need to simplify it for you so here goes: Buckley was a strong supporter of American military intervention, particularly in Vietnam (check out the Buckley/Chomsky 'Firing Line' debates if you don't believe me). Does that mean he should have felt personally responsible for every person the US killed in Vietnam?

[pumkinpi2]

@ArtVandalay666 "Capitalism and western Imperialism," I can see you have a firm grasp on intellectual honesty there, sport.