Renegade Night on Hardball. First up, Bill Weld. The former Republican governor of Massachusetts, who has endorsed Obama, told Chris Matthews he believed the Dem candidate would, as president, reach across the aisle to govern. Weld didn't—couldn't—cite anything to support his assertion out of Obama's hyper-partisan Senate record in which he's toed the Harry Reid line 97% of the time.
But as apostasy goes, that was small potatoes compared to Christopher Hitchens. The God Is Not Great author who, despite his support for the Iraq war, has also recently endorsed Obama, told Matthews he believes McCain is "borderline senile."
View video here.
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: It's a hard thing to say, and I think there's a big difference to be made, or enforced [?] actually, between being a veteran, being old, being experienced, and simply being elderly and borderline senile. Now a year ago --CHRIS MATTHEWS: You believe that?
HITCHENS: Yes.
As you'll see in the video clip, Hitchens makes his case as to McCain's alleged decrepitude based in significant part on his debate performances. Say what you will about McCain in the debates. The argument could be made that he was too aggressive. But I would place it beyond cavil that in the first and third debates, McCain was absolutely in charge, setting the agenda and taking the fight to his opponent. This was anything but a man past his intellectual prime. Indeed, after the first debate, it was Matthews himself who decried how often a dominated Obama abjectly agreed with McCain.
Note: Before pulling, I briefly had up an item in which I suggested that a voice that could be heard off-camera mocking Weld during his interview might have been that of Keith Olbermann. As a keen-eared reader pointed out, the voice had a British accent, and was certainly that of Hitchens, who though he hadn't yet been introduced was sitting at the table with Matthews and came on immediately after Weld. My thanks to the astute reader, and apologies to all.
Note: In March, Hitchens was calling Obama a "very shallow and flaky candidate."
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Comments Policy
Mark: I will adjust my
October 24, 2008 - 22:53 ET by d1carterMark:
I will adjust my comment as well: Instead of Olby's intentions to rule the world, Hitch thinks he already does....
Love the Georgetown Republicans
October 24, 2008 - 23:11 ET by goforitAll these inside the beltway 'conservatives' looking to stroke Obama to get on his good side are going to pay hell when McCain wins. These cocktail party guys are at a loss because they want to be with the 'in' crowd and they think that will be Obama so they are trying to suck up.
I was at the NC State Fair today and with all the blue-collar people there I saw far more McCain/Palin stickers than Obama. Especially on young people. They ran out of small McCain/Palin stickers around 1:00 this afternoon. Other than a few African-Americans and some 'typical white people', I saw very few Obama/Biden stickers. Of course I was looking for Obama people. The one's wearing Obama stickers looked like very unhappy people. I was very impressed with the people wearing McCain name. Mostly they were blue-collar looking women with their daughters and they were everywhere.
I saw one dude with his McCain/Palin sticker putting his Elizabeth Dole sticker over McCain so he was sporting Palin and Dole. I'm willing to bet anyone that McCain wins NC regardless of the fact we have been told for weeks that Obama is 'ahum' competitive in NC.
Having been a gun show last
October 25, 2008 - 10:29 ET by zhombreHaving been to a gun show last weekend here in Florida I can offer anecdotal evidence that McCain/Palin supporters are much better armed.
Borderline senile
October 24, 2008 - 23:17 ET by BlondeHow terribly interesting.
I am just now watching a 3 hour documentary on the great Ronald Reagan. When he fired Don Regan, he was also deemed "senile"....then went on to force the destruction of the Soviet Union.
"Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!"
Bring it on. I'll take a senile McCain over a anything Obama any day of the week.
In his own words (19 seconds): This man is qualified to be VP?
missed it
October 24, 2008 - 23:36 ET by TheAssessorI doubt that Hitch realizes there are a lot of us fringe seniles like McCain riding the highways here in upstate rural NY...in BIG BIG trucks. We hold down good jobs, play with the kids, pay our tax and uphold the law. Unless we have a good reason not to. Hitch riding through town could let loose the unhinged fringe seniles on him. We could even take him hostage and hold him in the potato cellar, until he screamed, "Yes I'll Vote for McCain/Palin"! Call ME senile if you want, but I'm thinking it could be way more fun. Rock on..
Barak 0bama - Afraction American
I saw this interview.
October 24, 2008 - 23:39 ET by GregEI saw this interview. Even Matthews seemed interested in a serious way, not in a giddy pro-Obama way. I think the personal comments Hitchens was making was even making Matthews seem perplexed, and Hitchens seemed to have more negative to say (on a personal level) about McCain, than he did about Obama on a positive.
He did mention temperament and we're hearing alot of this. Obama has a calm about him. Yea so do hundreds of thousands of people. This seems to be becoming a theme of media now on Obama. He said he thought Obama was extremely intelligent. Ok, so is Hillary, but the ideas that that intelligence brings forth aren't those with which I, as a conservative, agree.
I am voting, but as a conservative, I would much rather, if I had to, not vote before I would vote for Obama.
»→ That calm
October 24, 2008 - 23:54 ET by Cool ArrowThat calm Obama exudes in a "Silence Of The Lambs" sort of way?
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Maybe
October 25, 2008 - 00:56 ET by IamTinmanMaybe in a heavily medicated sort of way.
Those who keep their heads when all around them are losing theirs, simply don't understand the seriousness of the situation.
Christopher Hitchens
October 24, 2008 - 23:41 ET by Lame CherryThe fool has said in his heart. There is no God. Their works are abominable.
Sums Hitchens up grasping at straws and Tuesday Weld, well I guess he is going to be finding some hind tit to suck on in Obamaland, next to Colin Powell and that thing Bill Buckley loined.
Amazing how Reagan and Buckley two great thinkers could get so short changed in a sperm donation in their 40 something year old boys who are still boys.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Fu@k Hitchens
October 25, 2008 - 00:06 ET by RESTLESS 1All of that IQ and no direction. Kinda sad actually.
"This
liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about
basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
My ears are burning
October 25, 2008 - 00:09 ET by Texndoc"As a keen-eared reader pointed out, the voice had a British accent..."
Wow, if there's one thing I've never been called, and there's ONLY one thing I've never been called, it's "keen-eared".
I should have added
October 25, 2008 - 06:47 ET by Mark FinkelsteinI should have added "astute", "discerning" and "perspicacious" ;-)
I would have said...with a heavy French Accent...
October 25, 2008 - 07:03 ET by TheSterFrench Soldier:
You don't frighten us, English pig-dog! Go and boil your bottoms, son of a silly person. I blow my nose on you, so-called Arthur-king, you and your silly English kiniggets.
Yes... With a Heavy French Accent...Just to P!ss him off!!!!
Ster.
Talk about shallow and flaky!!
October 25, 2008 - 00:47 ET by IamTinmanTingles, Weld and Hitchens all fit the description!
As I've said before, the
October 25, 2008 - 01:14 ET by rbosqueAs I've said before, the madness will continue until election day. Then regardless who wins, it will increase.
If this is the case why
October 25, 2008 - 03:25 ET by SlicksterIf this is the case why haven't the libtards dumped the swimmer and sheets byrd?
Christopher Hitchens
October 25, 2008 - 07:36 ET by Gabrielle EHitch tried to spout this crap on the O'Reilly factor and Laura Ingram made him look like a fool.
If he had a backbone he would sit down with Sean Hannity.
Note: In March, Hitchens
October 25, 2008 - 08:56 ET by Jack BauerHitchen's has always been a hard leftist bomb thrower. The surprise is not his moronic comments now, but some of his comments recently which have tended to sanity.
In fact. many of Hitchen's commie/Marxist former komrads were so pissed off with his attacks on them, they made EXACTLY the same snide comments about him as he does against McCain.
You don't have to like McCain, or his policies... great, then make the case, but why make the offensive Obama talking point about "senility."
Biden is five years younger than McCain, and about 500 times more vain -- Joe McVain, but in any test of senility, Biden wins hands down.
Subjective, Insulting, Unsupported Rubbish...
October 25, 2008 - 09:46 ET by dodecahedronFirst off, is Hitchens 8' tall or did he do the entire interview staring at Chris Matthews' crotch?
MSNBC really doesn't need to import this kind of subjective, insulting, unsupported rubbish from the UK. They grow enough of it on their own.
Noooo...Dode,
October 25, 2008 - 10:08 ET by TheSterHe "talks fancy"...yet nobody understands what he actually sais...
Obama Presidential Inaugural Speech :
There shall in that time be rumors of things going astray, erm, and there shall be a great confusion as to where things really are, and nobody will really know where lieth those little things with the sort of raffia-work base, that has an attachment. At that time, a friend shall lose his friend's hammer, and the young shall not know where lieth the things possessed by their fathers that their fathers put there only just the night before, about eight O'clock.
Ster.
I hear ya Ster...
October 25, 2008 - 10:30 ET by dodecahedronWherefore and forthwith cometh Sir Hitchens of the crown to the colonies to mock the clan of the elephant. For they who refuse to bow down before the child and proclaim him holy will be smitten by smiters with nasty fangs and rotten teeth and they shall say "ouch" we've been smitten.
Hitchens is now a U.S.
October 25, 2008 - 10:25 ET by zhombreHitchens is now a U.S. citizen.
The Marquis De Hitch-Sade
October 25, 2008 - 10:24 ET by zhombreHitch's performance should not come as a surprise. His iconoclasm and vitriol often taken a nasty pathological turn. Look up his posthumus attacks on Reagan or Mother Theresa or Bob Hope. Hitch can be a real prick.
This coming from a known
October 25, 2008 - 11:42 ET by Richard RomanoThis coming from a known drunk, and a man who attacked Mother Theresa...not sure what type of charity work Hitch has ever done. The man is a jerk.
Hitch is no conservative -- he's a self-loathing leftist who realizes who sometimes sides with conservatives.
No Surprise
October 25, 2008 - 14:44 ET by northoneWhy would anyone be shocked or surprised that such venom was spewed from this left-leaning, self-absorbed alchoholic? He is pathetic!
Gasbag
October 26, 2008 - 11:21 ET by flyoverlandDoes anyone really care about this gasbag? He is so full of his phoney intellectual wind if he sat on anything sharp, he'd explode.