Amazing that they could have this entire debate and never mention the elections in Iraq and how they may affect the perception of the Iraqis toward the Americans.
This discussion probably occurred late in 2004, and while the elections were something that might have come up as a future benchmark to judge where the Iraqi people actually stood, and whether our stated intentions are genuine, it didn't. If it had, Tariq would probably have said that blood would be running in the streets and Hitch may have disagreed based on what he's seen during numerous visits to Iraq. In that scenario, Hitch would (again) have won the point.