Christopher Hitchens and Newt Gingrich: What kind of war are we fighting?
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- Taped July 18, 2002
What kind of war is the war on terrorism? Ordinarily wars are fought against proper nouns-against Germany during the Second World War or against the Soviet Union during the cold war, for example. Now we're being asked to fight a war against a common noun, terrorism. Just how accurate and useful is the phrase "war on terrorism"? Is this a war? And who exactly is the enemy-Al Qaeda? Al Qaeda plus all other terrorists around the world? Al Qaeda plus all other terrorists plus all the countries in which the terrorists operate? In other words, just how good a job are the president and the administration doing, not just in prosecuting the war but in defining the objectives?
Hitchens pulls names, dates and whole quotations out of his pockets like it's an ordinary feat. This man was the most important intellectual to walk the earth in the last 50 years. To deny it is only say that more time is needed for some to realise it.
Christopher Hitchens is a journalist and an author and all round legend,
Agree or disagree with either one, you have to admit it's a great discussion
I learned more listening to these two gentleman regarding Terrorism, Terrorist Groups etc.
Then I learned watching 200 hrs of News programs .
For that matter 3 administrations have not described our so called war on terror as well as Mr. Gingrich & Mr. Hitchins.
MAGNIFICENT...
I wish my brain worked like Hitchens. Able to recall what seems to be almost all of the information he reads and obtains through experiences. I already like debating but I want to be able to debate like Hitchens.
Peter M. Robinson is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics. Robinson spent six years in the White House, serving from 1982 to 1983 as chief speechwriter to Vice President George Bush and from 1983 to 1988 as special assistant and speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan. He wrote the historic Berlin Wall address in which President Reagan called on General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!"
Two giant intellectuals. Didn't care much for Newt as a politician, but as a professor and intellectual, he is superb. Wish Mr. Hitchens we're still around to provide his intellectual analysis on the world events.
Hitchens, you are very sorely missed. I wish that we still had your voice in the public arena, you're a huge loss to all the free-thinkers of this world.
I think we need the extended version. The discussion is regularly cut off.
17:40 Newt applauds the Administration for their job of "emotionally charging" the country. The attacks on 9/11 were enough to charge the country alone. To say the Administration did a remarkable job emotionally charging the country is a fawning diversion to the fact that they had done a very poor job informing the public of it's political objectives.
It's really quite amazing that these two people could share an interview and remain so cordial and calm and rational. It would be hard to find two public figures in the political landscape with more different positions: Ginrich the conservative and Hitchens the Trotskyite. Yet the discussion was sensible, calm, in low tones, and fairly informative. Well done Hoover Institute. And well done Hitch and Newt.
This was a good video. Espicially watching 14 years later.
This was a far better discussion than I thought it would be.
who, in say the 1990's, would have thought they would see an interview with Christopher Hitchens and Newt Gingrich where they were so in agreement?
Great video and very professional! I enjoy the juxtaposition of different ideas and this did not disappoint.
Dear Hoover Institution,
Thanks for uploading this fantastic discussion! Is there an unabridged edition of this discussion?
fascinating re-listening to this 10 years later. they make some excellent points
Hitchens is Brilliant here...
Gingrich is holding his own...AND...
Christopher is ACTUALLY agreeing with him....
What an enjoyable clip.
Wow, this was recorded in 2002. Its so interesting to see the type of talks that was going on in the lead up to the Iraq war.
I would be in love with me if I had Hitch's voice.
Thanks for the clip.
Yes,Hitchens is truely great.Who can ever replace him?
Surprising how coherent Newt Gingrich is.
Thankyou. A great response. You have put it as best as it can be put. Thank you.
2019 and the police state has gotten worse and worse, war on terror is without end, and American's attention span is even shorter...god we need a Hitchens now
He sure did carry an air of elegance and refinement with him where ever he went.
How refreshing to listen two an intellectual discussion where truth rather than politics
is the motive.
Hitches has a larger vocabulary than my dictionary... He is awesome.
Unfortunate this was edited
The more important question is why was it edited?
My heart goes out to your loved ones Christopher
Well, when people started using words like "war on poverty" and "war on drugs" that pretty much messed up keeping definitions simple, easy, or I would even say accuracy.
Why couldn't Newt Gingrich be like this during the Presidential debates?
More like he was exposed as an asshole and wasn't a serious contender for his own party's nomination.
Because this was an intelligent discussion. Unfortunately, discussions like this never occur on Television. There is a way to improve the quality of discussions is to view discussions like this one, and ignore the debacles on TV. So as to show appreciation for quality.
I would've appreciated an unedited version to hear the continuation of each of these guests' thoughts. Anybody have a link?
Stop the editing please
Very interesting watching this conversation unfold and realizing that we're a decade removed knowing just how endless a war on 'theocratic fascism' really is because crazy religious groups will never go away.
It's a lot like my marijuana stash: it somehow keeps replenishing itself.
Ten years from now, we look back on the war on terror as something we're still fucking doing.
great. Thank you for this.
Gingrich: "I don't know that there was a huge intelligence failure."
I hope he knows better by now.
I agree it's a myth...having read his articles in Vanity Fair for years, it's very clear to me that this man of exceptional intelligence had chosen his positions carefully and honestly. What I do believe is that he served his readers and fans until the very end of his life...encouraging that we learn, question, discuss, and wake up to the world we live in. Conversion would be a betrayal of his life's path and work. I can't accept he would face death without acceptance, honor, and composure. RIP.
this is the best 360p video I've ever seen ! !
Very valuable video, thank you
Is there an uncut version? the cuts are really weird
I've never heard him argue weakly or get caught out in any of the vids I've seen him in.
If I saw more of this intelligence and openness out of Newt during the campaign, I might have supported him!
I would love to get the unedited un over dubbed version
Please share the uncut version!
Ron Paul is the only person I know and seen who already changed the world no matter what the media wants - Thank you Ron Paul for bring light where there is darkness, no punt intended.
I find myself using my dictionary a lot when listening to Christopher. He had such a strong command of the English language.
Unfortunately this video was tarnished, for me, by the desire to punch the monitor whenever Newt Gingrich was onscreen.
Wow, here I am in 2020 kind of seeing where Newt Gingrich is coming from. 2002 was a very different time
retitle it Christopher Hitchens has a conversation with fellow journalist and Newt Gingrich gets to sit in and learn something about how words are employed.
It would be a more accurate but less catchy title.
Gingrich is actually quite intelligent for a politician hahaha
Peter Robinson wrote the 'Take down that wall' speech for Reagan.
Hitch does end up being the most memorable regardless of who's next to him
@Hooverinstitution thanks for posting this. Was interesting, gave me some insight into what people might see in Gingrich. Too bad he's a chump. But, that said, thanks anyways! I enjoyed it. :D
Hitchens. Proven right time and time again.
good upload Hoover ! good description. nailed it !
I have a great deal of respect for both these men
I skipped the part where Gingrich was speaking and went straight to Hitchens.
Gingrich begins with a glaring error. This issue did not begin with 3000 Americans dying. It didn't begin in 2001. Islamic Jihadists didn't announce themselves to the world in 2001.
too true. Pre Cole one could argue. Pre support to the Mujahadeen?
mounty27 Potentially even further yes. Although pre the 1980s it seemed most Arabs in the Middle East subscribed to pan-Arabism rather than Islamism. Either way, this issue definitely did not begin in 2001.
The Barbary wars happened like a decade after the US was a country.
The Ottoman empire did declare WW1 a jihad.
In any case, the cut to Peter Robinson following Newt's answer is priceless.
I think he was thinking in terms of _world issues_. Before 9/11, the world interest in Islamic terrorism was rather low; rather, they were focused on terrorism from right wing, communist, or anarchistic factions...
How did Newt get his head so much tanner than his hands? Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
he wears gloves on the sunbeds, strange man.
@adamk4747 i like the way you use caps to get your point across. very persuasive.
22:12 - "I don't know that there was a huge intelligence failure". - whamp whamp whaaammmp....
does anyone know if the other bits of this discussion are available on the world wide web?
I think you need to read more of his work because he was well aware of what a sheltered life he lived and wasn't afraid to admit it.
I did not always agree with Hitch, and rarely do I agree with Newt.
It is very fun to see the two men together sharing ideas and seeing their civility and respect for each other.
13 years ago...a good one
Actually, as to the host who wrote Reagan's speech at the Berlin Wall. He did not pen "tear down this wall". Reagan added it to the speech and was immediately advised by everyone not to say it since it might antagonize the Russian's. Reagan ignored their advice and said it anyway, explaining it was the right thing to do.
After ive heard all the politics intellectual people in the world. I can tell that hitchens is the most intelligent of them.
Where is the full, unedited interview??
Gingrich has always been considered very bright and very articulate by people who like and dislike him. Gingrich's problem is that people view him as being rude, dismissive and arrogant.
This is some good discussion. CH was fantastic.
@BrotherAtticus You talking about Newt and Hitchens or the host?
It's true Hitchens had a conversion before his death. In the waning hours of his life, he called a priest to his bedside and after a short discussion had converted the priest to atheism.
Hitchens was an intelligent man indeed, the best of men, i could listen to him talk all day.
I may not like Newt, but he's definitely highly intelligent.
He is extremely intelligent.
Cool, thanks for giving more than just his name. Otherwise I would have never known his credentials.
Halfway in and Newt Gingrich is being very sensible until now. What happened to him?
What on earth could have happened to Newt Gingrich to change him from the balanced, rational personal he seems in this interview, to what he is now?
At the beginning, why is there a Soviet and North Korean flag in the background? ^^
to symbolize their relevance in a political or historical discussion
FFS, there is no need for the interruptions.
I'm certain this was the only time that Hitch and Gingrich ever shared a room, but they are clearly both better off for it.
Hgfd hgfds54wert So, what? Do you think that means the history of his life means nothing?
yea newt has no equal, every sentence is clarifying and enlightening, he is a light cutting through our darkness, thank you. and that part of fumbling not being negative but being perceived as good, changing perception is the whole key to any kind of war, conflict, or unpleasant feeling. and i like newts way of thinking, of tracing things to their patterns.
Newt is a windbag who bends history to whatever argument he is trying to make. As has been established, he is a stupid person's idea of a smart person.
MicDoane usually these things boil down to only a few disagreements which you don't seem inclined to be open about, instead you ridicule.
I agree with stoopidfalo here. Gingrich is a very smart man and can be objective as he demonstrates here. His recent actions and his behavior on the public stage clearly demonstrates that he is willing to say whatever the people who pay him want to and cares about his career and power more than this country. It's sad truly that people listen to him more when he demonstrates brazen ignorance and spews hatred. He's a smart man.
this is a great discussion, Hitchens is spectacular.
OH CHRISTOPHER I HARDLY KNEW YEE
It is incredible to think that there are soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen entering the theater in the Middle East who do not remember the start of the war.
The minutes of the fireside chats and the house of commons we're not reported routinely in Berlin and Tokyo
@folkhippy Very well put.
These arguments haven’t aged well as we’ve seen the military actions have failed
Brilliant!
I do not support Gingrich, nor do I agree with him. But watching this has given me a new-found respect in his ability to perform a concise and eloquent discussion of differentiating viewpoints. I only wish that he didn't try so hard to fit into a stereotype during his campaign. If this Gingrich was running for president, I would not have been so quick to dislike him.
The interview was recorded in July of 2002. More info, including some anecdotes from Peter Robinson are at ricochet.com.
OH GOD. Someone got Newt Gingrich and Christopher Hitchens together in the same room?!
Absolutely. So many people don't understand this.
I don't like how this video is edited. I prefer to hear the whole conversation.
Politics aside, two of the smartest guys in the country debating - awesome.
@folkhippy Interesting thought seeing as how Hitchens later referred to Gingrich as "a very smart guy...very well read". I believe it was one of his c span appearances.
What an incredible little discussion. I mean say what you will on both sides, I'm personally not a fan of either men, but fuck if they aren't both absurdly eloquent and intelligent.
23:40 when he asked "10 years from now..." and here it is 10 years later and I'm not sure we can answer "yes." Interesting.
He died holding his beliefs to the end. The man had integrity and always stood up for what he thought was right. If there is a paradise at the end of life I have no doubt that he would be welcome to it.
This is some good discussion.
awesome conversation...it's kind of splitting hairs when they get talking about the semantics of phrases
I really wish this video was less edited. They cut as soon as any point starts to seem interesting.
Hitchen's was an intellect of immeasurable knowledge, he may be controversial today but in the future, when man shuns all superstition and belief in false deities, Hitchen's will be revered!