The Last Castration of Chris

The neutering of Hitch is now complete. His summation on the elevation of Henry Kissinger to the head of the independent 9/11 investigation is this: "The shame of this, and the open contempt for the families of our victims, ought to be the cause of a storm of protest." This, at the end of a column with not one critical word, not one peep of protest, against the man -- Bush -- who gave Kissinger his commission.

Hitch uses the passive tone, the Nixonian "mistakes were made," throughout his commentary. "The shame of this." Whose shame? Hitch cannot bear to utter it. "The cynicism of the decision and the insult .... it represents...." A decision cannot create itself; it cannot act, cynically or otherwise. If Hitch believes what he says about Kissinger, the sentence could only read: "The cynicism of George W. Bush, and his gross insult to the families of the victims, is beneath contempt."

Or this: "the thought [of requiring full disclosure of Kissinger's clients] does not seem to have occurred to the president...." Didn't occur? Does Hitch really believe that Bush doesn't know who is on Kissinger's client list, particularly when Bush family pal Scowcroft is a Kissinger business partner? Only a fool -- or an abject apologist -- would believe such a thing.

Snitch is simply as weak as water. He has signed on as a holy warrior for the Bush crusade, and can now only grumble under his breath when he learns that his comrades-in-arms are war criminals and liars. He asks "can ... and the media be expected to swallow the appointment of a proven coverup artist, a discredited historian, a busted liar, and a man who is wanted in many jurisdictions for the vilest of offenses?" But he -- of the media, and in the media -- does not demand or even propose Kissinger's removal. Hitch has not only swallowed the appointment, he has washed it down obediently with a large glass of Victory Gin.