Christopher Hitchens Calls Hillary Clinton As Secretary Of State A "Ludicrous Embarrassment"

Christopher Hitchens appeared on "Hardball" Monday night and voiced his strong opposition to Hillary Clinton being named Secretary of State.

Appearing with Peter Beinart of Time, who is for Clinton's appointment, Hitchens said, "This is the woman who played the race card on Obama... This is the woman whose foreign policy experience consists of making a fool of herself and fabricating a story about Bosnia."

He also brought up the Clintons' overseas fundraising connections and called the idea of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State a "ludicrous embarrassment."

A longtime critic of the Clintons, Hitchens wrote the 2000 book "No One Left To Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family."

WATCH:

Comments

[KickerBoard]

Hitchens is so all over the show these days, one wonders if he himself remembers what he thinks on any issue day to day. It must be a heck of an effort managing the nuances that keep all his contradictory viewpoints, past and present, somehow aligned enough to make a credible argument. That said, Hitchens is best when mean - a real entertainer (as all good drunks are).

[wordvarc]

So what's new.

Hitchens has made a career of cynicism and hate.

He's another two bit 'entertainer' pretending political expertise but offering only derision.

[laurelei23]

Hitchens is a mean drunk. Someone, please, stage an intervention.

Three reasons why HRC for SoS is a good idea: One, Hillary proved she can be a team player in the general campaign. She worked hard to elect Obama, and got off a good tag line, too. Her "no way, no McCain" line was a keeper.

Two, she has different ideas. A smart manager, like Obama, knows that you want people around you who offer different perspectives and viewpoints, otherwise you just get parrot responses back. (This has been just one of the many problems with Bush. Dubya only wants to hear people who agree with him.) She offers experience and a woman's viewpoint. And we tend to see history a bit differently.

Three, despite the ranting on HuffPo the rest of the world loves Bill. Having Hill as Sos would give her immediate cachet. And they would all be charmed, at least until they discover what a tough negotiator she'd be.

[radiclib]

.
.
Oh, he's the smartest guy in the bar.
Hour after hour.
Day after day.
Round after round.
.
.

[indyleftist]

I agree with Hitchens
Its very sad to see the so called "Liberal" Peter Beinart say that we shouldn't look at her record and past criminal activity. Hitchens at least has brains

And I hate how Mathews constantly tries to steer the conversation towards psychology and politics but away from substance which is clearly where Hitchens wants to go.

[Knowitall]

"Past criminal activity?" Give it up, please! Hitchens does have brains, but they are too often pickled, and that's a fact. Which means, it's difficult to trust the "substance" of comments from a man who clearly has issues far deeper than what's going on with the Clinton's (No one drinks to excess for no reason--especially someone with such a public career.)

[indyleftist]

Wow, a quick resort to personal attacks on Hitchens huh? He drinks too much in your opinion?

And yes, past criminal activity.

[MetalCanuck]

Yes, the CLintons have been implicated in the deaths of people...so yeah criminal activity.

[LeeCalif]

I agree with Hich.

[anelder]

I don't. The body of his work speaks loudly enough for me to doubt anything he says. Admittedly he could be right about something, sometime, somewhere. but I'd rather spend my time listening to those with less vitriol. I liken him to Rush Limbaugh. The difference being intellect of course. Which by itself makes him by far the most dangerous.

[indyleftist]

You've got to be kidding, he's nothing like Rush; Hitchens is a journalist and intellectual,
I disagreed with him on the war but the arguments he make are the right ones for it. We were the ones supporting Sadaam during the 80's, we acted disgracefully at the end of the first gulf war when we turned our back on the rebels, our sanctions during the 90's killed as many as the current war did and so forth...
Rush as an entertainer.
Peter Beinart is a pundit. He supported the war because the democratic leadership supported it and he has no idea of his own

[haloofsin]

Clinton had a good foreign policy? Poppycock! The Iraq sanctions alone negate that statement. I didn't vote for Obama but will give him a chance, but picking politicians that are the epitome of "politics as usual" turns my tongue sour.

HItchens is a blowhard conservative. I normally just pick what I can out of the discussion and ignore the rest from him.

[neoprimordial]

Mr. Hitchens, at what point do we decide to cease with the divisiveness and come together? Yes, the actions of Hillary Clinton and others were embarrassingly lowly, but once the voters made their choice, those tactics were put aside and, as a result, Barack Obama is now the first African-American president-elect of the United States. If Obama in his wisdom wants to place Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, who are you to try to fault him for it, unless of course you actually believe we should all remain unforgiven for any and all of our shortcomings, political and otherwise? Or maybe you think there's something inherently wrong with Hillary Clinton that would perpetually disqualify her for that position? Get over it already!

[renemarie]

I love Hitchens!! I very often disagree with him but I admit to a bizarre fascination with him. He's like that one guy in the smoky bar that you could really talk to about books and politics and art. You might want to punch him on occasion but he is always interesting...

[Stagehnd1]

I like him too...I wish people would stop judging and bashing him...

[RonNYC]

he is right on the money with this one. he usually makes me sick. i happened to see the show.
chris matthews is going crazy. i don't know if he is excited that obama won but his interview style is now downright creepy.

[wordvarc]

He's a bore; an opportunistic scoffer and cynic.

[jhNY]

Surprised to see Hitchens has become an American citizen, and thus has opinions which are pertinent to our doings, which would otherwise hardly be his first order of business or any of his business whatsoever. Mr. Gordon Brown must be feeling better minus this overweight gadfly who now hovers over the drinks table in America, making provocative talk to anybody within earshot while awaiting his next stiffener.

[gd7277467]

WHOA !

Hitchen's and the Red Nose Express are back !

[MrBritesnide]

Acknowledging a Hitchens comment is like getting stock tips from a glory hole.

[coreopsis]

Stock tips from a glory hole.....So that's what Larry Craig was doing!

[mergina]

At least she is NOT A HUNG OVER OPINIONATED SEXIST SLOB, like you hutchins.

[deegee99]

Here, here! Good one. It's great to have an intelligent President-elect for a change. He knows what he's doing.

[ChandraSF]

It will come down to this: Do the Clintons love money more than power? If their first love is money, then the SoS position is a distraction. They can write books, gives speeches earn a lot more. Use that money to travel wherever they want to. Serve on Boards of Warren Buffet companies. If I were them, I'd be asking, "Why would I take on the SoS job, with all its scrutiny and play by rules guidelines?". I am betting the Clintons say, "Thanks, but no thanks to SoS" (a line borrowed from Sarah Palin, no less!).

[Zuzette]

I agree with Chandra & I think Obama, smartly, is playing to this in assuming that the Clintons won't pass muster or will refuse to bother trying to. Either way they & their drama go away & Obama looks magnanimous. Checkmate.

[applescruff]

Hitchens manages to give Atheists a worst rep than they already suffer.
He believes in God alright. It's just that the all knowing supreme being in his life is himself.

[colddoseofsumthin]

i didn't realize atheists had a bad rap. is it all the wars they've started? the persecutions? or just that g'damned slave-like devotion to logic, reason and fact?

[LeftofTerry]

Hear, hear. Athiests, on average, show more thoughtfulness and compassion than do "Believers."

[AbrakadaBarak]

Hmmm....I'll just wait for the Change We Need.

[Knowitall]

And you'll get it.