Stumble ThisThe Grapple in the Big Apple: A ferocious debate on the Iraq War between two advocates both of whom, rarely, are well educated on the subject and even more rarely, neither of whom are morons.
Galloway and Hitchens are engaged in a long-standing feud; Galloway has called Hitchens a "drink-soaked former Trotskyist popinjay", Hitchens replied that Galloway is "a thug and a demagogue, the type of working-class-wideboy-and-proud-of-it who is too used to the expense account, the cars and the hotels - all cigars and back-slapping. He is a very cheap character and a short-arse like a lot of them are, puffed up like a turkey."
This one's a real slugfest. ;)
Galloway and Hitchens are engaged in a long-standing feud; Galloway has called Hitchens a "drink-soaked former Trotskyist popinjay", Hitchens replied that Galloway is "a thug and a demagogue, the type of working-class-wideboy-and-proud-of-it who is too used to the expense account, the cars and the hotels - all cigars and back-slapping. He is a very cheap character and a short-arse like a lot of them are, puffed up like a turkey."
This one's a real slugfest. ;)
Cheers gorillaman.
HITCHENS: But let’s say that we take his word for it. It means that when he went—having said that he thought that Kuwait was part of the Iraqi motherland—to greet Saddam Hussein in 1994 in Iraq and to salute him for his courage and his indefatigability.
GEORGE GALLOWAY: That’s another lie. You’re lying again. Your nose is growing.
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: He went—and to take his side again, it meant that he went in foot on his own evidence. He went in full knowledge of the fact that he was dealing with a murderer and a monster and a dictator. So the pit of exculpation that you attempt to dig, Mr. Galloway, has just swallowed you up and the record will show it.
And after this Galloway flounders and appears unusually taken aback. Enough so that he stumbles around with a point he already made and was refuted on earlier:
GALLOWAY: But you opposed the war in 1991 in the full knowledge of what had happened at Halabja just three years before. You’re the one who went on television denouncing President Bush for his plan to invade and destroy the regime of Saddam Hussein.
And the reason for this is both men know of the existence of this video of Galloway's 1994 visit to Saddam. It is, verbatim:
"Sir, I salute your courage, your strength your indefatigability. I can honestly tell you, that there was not a single person to whom I told I was coming to Iraq and hoping to meet with yourself, who did not wish me to convey their heartfelt fraternal greetings and support."
And that is exactly what Hitchens was referring to by "Mr. Galloway, has just swallowed you up and the record will show it". Hitchens baited Galloway into trumpeting one of his favorite lies, and did it such that there can be no mistake that Galloway is knowingly and intentionally lying about his actual opinions of Saddam.