Although I disagree with almost everything he says, thinks or writes, he's a guy I wouldn't mind spending time with at the pub. He's always acerbic, entertaining and just as sure of his beliefs as I am of mine.
I'd rather drink in the basement with my cats, thanks. I don't like being around angry, desperate people who project the filth in their own souls onto everyone around them.
What Hitchens said about Mother Teresa puts him beyond the pale of decent people, if they are aware of it, just as (to name another homosexual unfortunate) Elton John's promotion of debauching little boys should make him a pariah to all but his own kind.
He was every bit as enjoyable to throw a few back with as you'd expect. He was there because he thought Clinton was an unbearable criminal scumbag, like the rest of us, and gave a great speech detailing exactly why he had come to that conclusion.
We agreed on little else, but he could actually argue his positions with logic, humor and class (Mother Teresa never came up!)
He may be the last liberal left who you can say that about.
After the bar, he went to his table in the dining room. My brother brought him over a fresh Johnny Walker Black. He grabbed my brother's arm, looked at him very gravely, and said, "You are a great great man."
He's a good guy, just wrong about alot.