Ritter vs Hitchens - Wasn't even a contest.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

I caught this posting at Yellow Dog Democrat. Nice read. I can't help wondering why Hitchens even bothers to show up any more. Everyone is on to his dog and pony show for Chimpy.

Thursday, December 22, 2005
A Night With Scott Ritter – And Some Other Guy

"Hey, you guys are great taxi drivers," laughed Scott Ritter, the former United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq, as he warmly shook my hand and gave the traditional ribbing a former Marine gives to an ex-Navy guy like myself. (It's a joke among Marines about how they believe the Navy exists only to give Marines a ride.)

I met Ritter and got to spend a few minutes with him after attending a debate on the Iraq war between him and neoconservative apologist Christopher Hitchens Tuesday night.

Moderated by talk-show host Jay Diamond after the scheduled moderator, Air America's Laura Flanders, took ill, the debate was held at the old and austere Tarrytown Music Hall in Westchester County, NY.

Ritter, the author of Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein, was a top U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 through 1998 and frequently served as the chief inspector. Prior to his employment with the U.N., Ritter was a major in the U.S. Marines, where he served for 12 years as an intelligence officer and a ballistic missile adviser to General Schwarzkopf in the first Gulf War.

He struck me one-on-one as much the same person I watched dismantle Hitchens in front of a crowd of perhaps 600 people Tuesday: ramrod straight and solid, without an ounce of military bearing lost in civilian life and more than capable of debating both the technical and political nature of pre-war intelligence leading up to the Iraq mess.

The Gulf-war Veteran, who described himself in introductions as a "Reagan Republican who voted for Kerry," made it clear at the start of the evening exactly where he stood.

You can read the rest at -

http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2005/12/night-with-scott-ritter-and-some-other.html

[Talismom]

1. Thanks so much for posting this! I've been wondering how it went and am

thrilled to be able to read it!

[sabra]

2. thank you for the post!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. Ritter was very impressive on WJ the other day too...

every RW caller spouting BS got knocked down with the facts in a clear and straightforward way.

75% of the callers praised him for his service and for speaking out for the truth. :)

[Fridays Child]

7. Yes, he was. He got several callers who were obviously...

...freepers, reading from a sheet of RNC talking points, and Scott made quick work of every single one of them.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Damn! Wish I could've seen it in person. . .

I live just 20 minutes from the place it was held.

:kick:

[SteppingRazor]

5. One quick editing point --

"Prior to his employment with the U.N., Ritter was a major in the U.S. Marines, where he served for 12 years as an intelligence officer and a ballistic missile adviser to General Schwarzkopf in the first Gulf War."

This says that the first Gulf War went on for 12 years.


Great post, though! :thumbsup:

[mattclearing]

6. Sounds like Hitchens embarrassed himself again.

Why to people keep bringing this clown out?

The author doesn't get down to business on Hitchens, though: How hammered was he?

[Doctor_J]

8. Any chance we could get Ritter

to run for Congress as a D? i know he still considers himself a R, but maybe he's had enough.

[Wetzelbill]

9. he's a shameless self-promoter who will do anything to be seen or heard

he's relatively entertaining, so that's why he keeps getting gigs like that.