Farewell, Hitch

Our favorite drink-soaked former Trotskyist popinjay passed away today after a well-publicized bout with esophageal cancer. Christopher Hitchens was 62 years old, which is kind of remarkable when you think about it. We will miss his haughty wit and clever writing as much as we'll miss saying what a hopeless dupe he was, again and again, and especially after 9/11. But he wassincereabout his convictions, which made him a complete rarity in Washington D.C. And in a town full of dullard "media professionals" who are mouth-breathing cretins, Hitchens got away with quite a lot simply because he was smart and charming.

Farewell, Hitch, you social-climbing faux radical! See you in Hell! (Ha ha that is a joke because Hitch made a late career out of bashing religious people.) [ Vanity Fair / New Statesman ]