'He was a populist with no faith in the populace'

Gore Vidal's description of his grandfather could serve as a description of most any Democratic politician of recent vintage who aims to force health care down the throats of the ignoramuses in the hinterland clinging to their guns and religion.

Via this Hitchens essay on the bitter old queen.

Thanks to Jonah Goldberg.

The amazing Christopher Hitchens

Gideon Rachman:

Hitchens was my boss (or possibly just colleague, he’s not a very managerial type) in Washington in the early 1990s. We were both working for a now defunct British newspaper called The Sunday Correspondent – nicknamed “The Despondent” because of its irreversible downward spiral. I can still remember our first lunch. I would like to say that this is because of the sparkling nature of the conversation. In fact, it is because of the frightening amount that we drank. I staggered home afterwards and fell asleep for a few hours. At 5pm I got up and called Hitchens to discover that he had gone home and written a 2,000 word essay on WH Auden.

OK, I just love that.

Christopher Hitchens walks into a synagogue

Not a joke, although it could be.

The Rabbi--Rabbi Goldberg--got up and made an obsequious, fawning, assimilating fool of himself. He said Temple Judea was "tolerant of atheism." Silly me. I had this insane idea that the purpose of a synagogue was to advance the cause of Judaism, which is generally considered to be a religion.

He quoted some French Jew who died in the nineteenth century. The gist of the quote was that Judaism was great because it didn't require adherents to shut off their brains and abandon reason. Rabbi Goldberg thought it was a good idea to bring in people hostile to God and Judaism and let them speak, because it "challenged" believers. Again, I guess I'm crazy. I thought the secular world challenged believers day in and day out, and the purpose of a synagogue was to provide a sanctuary and an authoritative response.

...

Hitchens went on to insult Judaism just about has hard as he could. He insulted Abraham for offering to sacrifice his son, describing Abraham's faith--Judaism--as "base and servile." He made fun of circumcision. He used crude language. He did his best to get thrown out of the place, but as of the time I left, Rabbi Goldberg seemed thrilled to have him.