Excellent, excellent e-mail debate between a fellow named Doug Ireland, and his long-time chum Christopher Hitchens. I am very excited about this one, because Ireland takes Hitchens to task for his irresponsible comments in a recent interview which were quite distressing to me. Not being a close, personal friend of the Hitch, and anyway not having the mental acrobatics or the death wish necessary to debate him, I'm pleased to see Ireland do it for me. And all conducted with the utmost mutual respect and decorum. Quite the gentlema's debate.

Ireland comes straight out with what was one of the most troubling aspects of Hitchen's comments. Hitch said that if the election were tomorrow, he'd vote for Bush because Bush is the only candidate serious about defeating "Islamofascist" terrorism abroad. I think smoke came out of my ears when I first read this. I thought: "This is your only issue? How dare you? A non-citizen such as yourself may not give a rat's ass about the unmitigated disaster of domestic policy, but it matters a hell of a lot to myself and my friends!"

Ireland takes him to task for it, in much nicer terms, and for my money, the Hitch does not win this one. It seems to me that he never takes seriously the obvious contradictions Ireland brings up between Hitch's stated values and the values evidenced by the Bush administration's policies. Nevertheless, a refreshing debate and a great read. Bon appetit.