"One only wishes that the election could be over now and a proper and dignified verdict rendered, so as to spare democracy and civility the degradation to which they look like being subjected in the remaining days of a low, dishonest campaign."

Indeed.

I like Hitchens, even though I don't always agree with him. He makes some interesting points about when personality does become an issue in politics. Thanks for the post!

OH my, ummm Obama may want to reject this endorsment ahahah! I love Mr Hitchens, but I like tend to like abrasive people.

I don't like Hitchens, but have always had respect for his honesty. When someone like him comes down so hard on McCain, people really should think about what he's saying.

Oh snap. And btw, I'm glad someone is finally pointing out the weird and embarrassing grandpa language/tangents McCain uses/goes off on. "My friends" and "you will know there names!" and "I know how to fix it. I know how to do it." and nattering on and on about ear marks and Bears in Montana when the gov't is spending gagillions on a bailout-- it's like, gibberish to my ears.

I dont think i would want the endorsement. (although i love that he cant stand bill clinton)

Lets not go the route of making fun of peoples phrases, I could fill this website with political and celebrity quotes that i cannot stand...its a Moot point.

You're right, I could go on all day about Palin's phrases!

Hitchens was a good source of concise and insightful journalism until the Sept 11 attacks and then his colleagues wondered what had happened to the man who wanted truth.
Perhaps he's returned to some of his senses.

I must be uneducated or out of touch because I really have no idea who this guy is!

I always liked his rants about the silliness of the smoking-in-bars bans.

Pop, you and me both. I had to look up his Wiki profile.

I have no idea who he is, that's how bad I am with the world

I thought I was the only one. The only thing I know about him is that he is a smoker. Gross.

*whew* glad I am not alone in wondering who he is.

No surprise - as one of the world's foremost atheists (or anti-theists), and self-identified "democratic socialist," I wouldn't expect anything else...

Now that I read up a tiny bit about him (and assuming that wikipedia isn't lying), why is it surprising that he is supporting Obama?

Pop, I wondered the same thing! It sounds like a sure thing to me, but I guess we're both basing it off Wiki.

I had to read the headline twice.

"The most insulting thing that a politician can do is to compel you to ask yourself: "What does he take me for?" Precisely this question is provoked by the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin. I wrote not long ago that it was not right to condescend to her just because of her provincial roots or her piety, let alone her slight flirtatiousness, but really her conduct since then has been a national disgrace. It turns out that none of her early claims to political courage was founded in fact,"

Ouch.

Mich and Pop if you read a few of his articles you'll see why some of us are surprised. Read just about anything he's written about Iraq.
http://www.hitchenszone.com/

Mmmm I love myself a good Enlightenment lover anti-theist intellectual. I don't much about him, maybe I'll take an interest, but its nice to know (outside of my college) that you are not alone. Count yourself lucky, my fellow religious people, that you're in the majority.

Though I don't understand why he supported the war in Iraq, of all the Republican agendas to embrace. If wiki is right. Thanks for the link liliblu, if I have time tonight I'll go read some of his articles.

Jessie,

Oh you'll love his book "The Portable Atheist"
http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Atheist-Essential-Readings-Nonbeliever/dp...

Hitchen's world view changed dramatically after the NY attacks but he has always been conservative in his outlook.
With his ego I wouldn't be at all surprised that he's speaking up now as he sees the writing on the wall and wants to be able to say I told you so or to think that he has had some influence.

"...but he has stated on the Charlie Rose show aired August 2007 that he remains a 'democratic Socialist.' "

I don't think that all conservatives or liberals must agree on war and other social issues. I would think that the main defining line would be the style of gov't you prefer.

Ugh, I can't stand Hitchens. I teach his essays in my University Writing class and he's such a blowhard. Anyway, I'm not interested in his endorsements...

Do you teach his essays as cautionary examples or do you like his writing just not him? (just curious)

So umm Hitchens is an American Citizen now and can vote in this election?

When did that happen? I could have sworn that when I met him when he came to speak to our atheist group that he was a citizen of Great Britain.

It's interesting but unimportant in my assessment.

I think he just became an American citizen last year.

Interesting photo choice. I think it's a pretty pointed statement about how CitizenSugar feels about Hitchens and his leanings... After all, if people can get upset about Sarah Palin's picture being un-retouched, shouldn't we be upset about this totally unflattering shot of a noted author? Just a thought

i think that there are so many ways to take things like this. is' a smack in the face of a party when someone who's typically endorsed them goes to the other side, but i'm not sure if the point of view that he has will agree with obama. it almost seems to me like hes' moving his alignment to the other side on principle rather than what he believes in - and i don't know if that's even worth it. i can appreciate a lot of what he says, but i'm not sold...

LOL I"m a Hitchens fan don't get me wrong, but aren't most of his photos unflattering, he tends to look a bit surly in most of them!

I'd never heard of him either and I usually try really hard to keep myself up to date on this stuff. Oh well, now I know.