When Christopher Hitchens came on today's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough began by inviting him to comment on "last night's" results. Quipped the famously hard-living Hitchens: "I'm still thinking of it as this morning's result. I hope it doesn't show." Unfortunately for Christopher, it did. See screencap.
But whatever price Hitchens was paying for indulgences of the night before did nothing to blunt his acerbic wit. The quondam Englishman turned naturalized American offered acid observations about both Dem contenders. Hillary was first in his sights. He described as "slightly sinister" her listing during last night's victory speech of Florida and Michigan among her primary wins, since by DNC rules those contests counted for nothing. By his lights, her inclusion of the two states portends nasty arm-twisting to come.
Then there was this: "Anyone who like me when they think about the Clintons thinks about zombies, thinks about the undead, thinks about stakes through the heart, silver bullets and so on, has just received confirmation. It's as bad as we thought it was going to be."
View video here.
Hitchens later said of Hillary that "she would do anything, she wouldn't mind running as George Wallace if it would get her the nomination."
If Hitchens cast Clinton as ruthless, he portrayed Obama as feckless and vulnerable.
HITCHENS: I've been trying to say about this for a few days now, that he's a very shallow and flaky candidate. And it's beginning to show. The trial of his friend -- is it Rezko or Rizko -- I'm not completely certain how to pronounce it, and the shady Iraqi backers of that man who've emerged recently. There couldn't have been a worse day to have a corruption trial open in Chicago. I think, it looked yesterday as if it wouldn't matter because it would be all over before anyone knows this. Now it's on the table. Extreme flakiness on the NAFTA question. Apparently very casual in his approach to that scare ad about why you'd want Hillary Clinton in granny glasses at three in the morning, when there was a crisis. But, you know, suddenly people are thinking, actually what is there to this except charm? That's the question he can't afford to have asked.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Are you calling Obama a shallow and flaky candidate?
HITCHENS: I repeatedly call him a shallow and flaky candidate. I thought he was an incredibly successful shallow and flaky candidate. I would add other things that are going now to get a second look that they've long deserved. This dumb, nasty, ethnic rock 'n roll racist church that he goes to in Chicago, that's gonna, he won't be able to walk away from that anymore. The crummy associates he's got in Illinois going on trial for corruption, with their Iraqi friends. None of this is going to get the free ride from the press that it was getting till about this time yesterday morning.
SCARBOROUGH: Wow.
Wow indeed. Republican readers might be cautioned not to exult too much in Hitchens' excoriation of the Dems. The professional iconoclast is likely at some point to cast comparable scorn upon John McCain.
Bonus Coverage: Todd Touts Thune For McCain VP Pick
John Thune for Veep? That's Chuck Todd's tout. The NBC News Political Director made the prediction/suggestion in an earlier Morning Joe segment.
View video here.
SCARBOROUGH: Any quick predictions as we go to break on John McCain's running mate?
CHUCK TODD: My bet has been John Thune. He's South Dakota, doesn't bring a state. They're very close, he was an early endorser. McCain's father and Thune's father actually had a relationship in the Navy. Thune is the next star of the Republican party. He's the closest thing they got to their own version of Obama: he's young, smart, articulate. Very conservative, conservatives will be happy. Got a nice smile. He's a conservative with a smile, which is what you gotta find.
SCARBOROUGH: I've never heard Thune, but I know John pretty well and he's a really good guy.
Interesting. Your thoughts on Thune?
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.




















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Kudos to Mr. Hitchens!
March 5, 2008 - 11:55 ET by SyriusMr. Hitchens,
Speak the truth and see where it leads us. Keep up the good work, Mr. Hitchens. I love your books and you've got my support.
Syrius
Well, Hictchens said it all
March 5, 2008 - 11:56 ET by bigtimerWell, Hictchens said it all didn't he when it comes right down to the brass tacks regarding Obama and Hillary....can't improve on one single word...(I too noticed her including Michigan, I didn't catch Fla. but I knew what she was doing nevertheless)...
I also like what he said about the Trinity Church...it is a racist church, and this will come to light more and more, plus besides the Rezko deal I think Obama lying about the Canadian NAFTA deal is what hurt him quite a bit, he lied, and got caught at it, he tried dancing around it, but to no avail.
Now on to Thune...I have liked what I have seen so far with him in the Senate...this would be a good choice as far as I am concerned, he is very conservative indeed. (I will want to go back and check his record on drilling/ANWR and global Warming BS but if memory serves me at the moment he is pro drilling and being self-dependent here..I know he is good on illegal immigration/border security and tops on defending this country against the terrorists...and very conservative when it comes to Judges.
Hitchens! Hitchens! Hitchens!
March 5, 2008 - 12:26 ET by ChrisMillsHitchen should do all the commentary on MSNBC. Wouldn't that be sweet? Pink slips to Chris, Keith, and Mika and Hutchins replaces all of them. MSNBC would actually be worth watching.
CM... Plus I hear
March 5, 2008 - 12:33 ET by bigtimerCM...
Plus I hear Huckabee is shopping around for a talk show of sorts after the convention (I hear he may be sticking around holding off on anything permanent quite yet in case something happens politically with McCain)...which he would do well at IMHO.
He would be a great replacement for Keith or Abrams.
Absolutly true --he just did
March 5, 2008 - 12:28 ET by docbAbsolutly true --he just did not go far enough--the clintons are the slime of the earth and the scurge of the Dem party.
Perceptive Joe
March 5, 2008 - 12:53 ET by BarkerHITCHENS: I've been trying to say about this for a few days now, that he's a very shallow and flaky candidate....
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Are you calling Obama a shallow and flaky candidate?
Boy, nothing gets by you, does it Joe?
Obama...
March 5, 2008 - 13:21 ET by heldmyw...sounds more and more like a Pillsbury product.
I agree with everything.......
March 5, 2008 - 13:50 ET by connmanthat Hitchens commented on this subject. However, what exactly has this to do with Liberal Bias in the Media?
So, could you tell what if anything Barack Obama has accomplished to be considered for the office of the POTUS?.......He died for our sins, isn't that enough?
I'm curious: does it bother
March 5, 2008 - 13:56 ET by Mark FinkelsteinI'm curious: does it bother you if at times I post items unrelated to media bias that I believe our readers would find interesting and would be unlikely to find elsewhere?
this is bias to me where
March 5, 2008 - 14:02 ET by TruthMongerthis is bias to me
where was all this vitriol during the clinton-apologist monica-gate/wag-the-dog era...?
Doesn't bother me at all, I'm in support of Hitchens.
March 5, 2008 - 14:20 ET by SyriusMF,
Let's not forget, we should support those who speak the truth, especially, Mr. Hitchens and his comments...
http://www.washingto...
Spread the good word!
Syrius
Looks like he disagrees with
March 5, 2008 - 16:59 ET by RESTLESS 1Looks like he disagrees with you as much as he does Christians. I never said I agree with everything he says, but at least what he says comes from an intellectually honest position, unlike you.
?????
March 5, 2008 - 19:15 ET by SyriusRest,
Where does Hitchens disagree with me? I said I'm in support of his views and comments. I find it humorous when the radical right displays a certain hypocrisy and ignorance in support of people they've trashed in the past. So, the point you'd like to make would be...????
Syrius
"...the dire consequences to society when people begin to believe that by
renaming someone to erase their humanity opens the door to the
devaluation of everyone's life..."-dscott
Syrius
March 6, 2008 - 18:32 ET by RESTLESS 1So you agree with the war in Iraq, as Hitchens does here and here?
I also must assume that you agree with the Christopher Hichens described here.
Thanks...
March 8, 2008 - 10:13 ET by SyriusRestless,
Hitchens doesn't mince words when confronting
opposing viewpoints and kudos to him for stating his views. I will
admit his rabid viciousness towards others are just extreme as those he
confronts. He's raising awareness and consciousness. I don't believe in
genocide nor turning Iran into a glass plate. I do not agree with the
current view and justification of the Iraq war. I do agree in combating
and destroying the radical extreme terrorist elements that exist in the
world. We need to destroy them not only militarily but economically. If
our mission in Iraq is to confront and battle Islamo-fascists then the
Admin. needs to state it as such. Trying to justify it by any other
means is wrong. We need to use the military properly and not as a
police force. The Military must hunt the bastards down and kill them
and then leave Iraq. Any attempt to rebuild Iraq into either a
pro-American or pro-Iranian regime will fail. The country will rebuild
itself.
Originally, this thread was about Hitchens attacking the
Dems on Joe S's program. How does it relate to being part of the
liberal media bias?
Syrius
"...the dire consequences to society when people begin to believe that by
renaming someone to erase their humanity opens the door to the
devaluation of everyone's life..."-dscott
Sy
March 8, 2008 - 19:03 ET by RESTLESS 1No bias here. Just pure entertainment. I love watching the liberals get beat up. Watching the infighting on the left has been quite fun. Really looking forward to the dem convention. :>)
Get the popcorn...
March 9, 2008 - 17:06 ET by Syrius...since the first of the double feature is over. (McCain winning after a pretty unique primary run.)
Syrius
"...the dire consequences to society when people begin to believe that by
renaming someone to erase their humanity opens the door to the
devaluation of everyone's life..."-dscott
LOL Mark. No, it helps my
March 5, 2008 - 14:23 ET by bassndudeLOL Mark. No, it helps my heart to smile now and then. Shaping up to be a pretty good election, on the dem side anyway.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Mark:Your article
March 5, 2008 - 15:25 ET by stratmanMark:
Your article absolutely articulates the Liberal bias in the MSM. Hitchens himself states that the MSM has been soft on Obama's skeletons in the closet: Rezko, Trinity Church, NAFTA. Hitchens now thinks that the MSM will have to discuss in fuller context and detail the minefields of Obama.
Hitchens: "None of this is going to get the free ride from the press that it was getting till about this time yesterday morning."
RRAM Tough!
Good point: glad readers
March 5, 2008 - 15:26 ET by Mark FinkelsteinGood point: glad readers have my back!
check out...
March 5, 2008 - 14:23 ET byIt is ALL about Electability in Nov.
Must read for those into American politics!!!! I found some brilliant/awesome analysis on Obama’s current happenings on the campaign trail. I haven’t seen anything like this mentioned anywhere in the MSM. Check out the article “Super Tuesday 2: Revenge of the Clintons” on http://savagepolitic..., “Follow the Money” on http://savagepolitic..., “Bush’s Twin and the G.O.P.” http://savagepolitic... and “Barack Obama’s Apotasy” http://savagepolitic... Check their “Political Analysis” and “Humor” sections for other striking perspectives and comedic analysis on both parties.
elsy... The link and blog
March 5, 2008 - 14:30 ET by bigtimerelsy...
The link and blog looks very interesting, I will check it out more in depth later...thanks.
This isn't Michael Savage either as some may think at first glance...just thought I would throw that in there.