I was fortunate enough to record some of the chatter a half hour before the thing really started, and it is rather funny.

I'm hoping for a Hell In A Cell match. . .

Don't forget, Hanson v. Huffington starts at 9pm EDT.

Any bets on whether ol' Hanson will whip out some Catullus on Arianna's ass?

The curse of a relatively ancient PC and a lowly dial-up connection: I can't get the audio link to work.

Any other impressions of the debate so far? Is the audio file likely to be made available online afterwards? There are better PC's at school!

Question is "Justify the war in Iraq." Hitch is talking first. Doing just fine listing the indisputables.

Well, indisputable here on *Earth*, that is.

Sound is great. Hitch is good so far and has fans.

Try 'other Jill if you have RealPlayer. The first link didn't work for me either.

I think GG is up in about 2 minutes. Nice shot at Chirac and Schroder

That was great.

So far, I've been able to resist spontaneous vomiting, but that's only because Hitch came on and began. After George gets on, I'm likely to be revolted again.

"Guttersnipe" - good choice of words.

I thought the time keepers parents' last names were "Wrigley" and Stadium."

Hitch has many fans in the audience.

As for the unfans: "If you knew how you looked and sounded when you do that, comrades."

Heh heh.

Am I mistaken, or did Hitchens just call Galloway "Gaddafi?"

This is awesome. And I agree, Patton, "guttersnipe" is superb.

Hammering Galloway and his backers in the crowd. Went right at him. I like him that much more. Very direct.

Can't get the audio to load, and anyway, I'm at work and it'd be too distracting anyway.

Will there be archives for later listening?

Damn, Hitch is going right after Galloway.

Sweet.

Anyway, I wonder anyway how many redundant "anyways" I can put in one sentence, anyway.

Loose shit.

Greenskeeper Willie?

No, Fat Bastard?

Did Hitch bring some KY? Cause that's got to hurt.

Wow-- Galloway is attacking Charlton Heston.

WTF?!?

GG is using Hitch's own past words and twisting them to try to undermine him. Hitch is going to take that and bury him with it. It's a cheap trick any skille ddenater knows how to put down.

GG just took a shot at Heston. F'in scumbag.

Ahhh, Leftists are always the same.

Hypocrisy is always a crime greater than murder.

"The queen. The vatican. The Getty's. The Rothschilds. AND Colonel Sanders before he went heads up! Oh, I hated the Colonel with his wee BEADY eyes! and that smug look on his face, 'Oh! You're gonna buy my chicken, OHHH!"

Galloway is putting THE emphasis in very STRANGE places and pausing ODDLY. Is he always like this?

Spherical, yet quite pointy in parts.

Does GG make points or just pour out insults. I've yet to hear a shred of principle good or bad.

Slug bug!!

Sheehan? Great.

WHen GG said she gave the life of her son Hitch murmured "no she didn't". Good point.

Oh, Mother Sheehan!!!! Hail Sheehan, full of grace......

Jill, hit the "other" button if the windows one doesn't work. That's what worked for me.

Wait a sec-- Galloway, *a supporter of Saddam*, is equating his line of argument to The Founders.

??

Why is this asshole in our country giving speeches?

George Bush = Fundamentalist Muslims

Wow. I'm almost waiting for Galloway to demand the Sudentenland.

OK, so I get that he thinks occupying the country is wrong, but I've yet to hear him say why overthrowing Saddam was wrong.

"Cheap demagoguery?" Rich...

Oh shit. If I was there and I'm serious, I'd punch him in the face.

Zarqawi=resisting foreign occupation

???????

I wonder what Michael Collins would think of being compared to Zarqawi?

If there is such a thing as treason left in the West, Galloway is guilty of it.

I'm sorry, the man is in bed with our vilest enemies. The only question is whether he pitches, or catches.

Okay, one more question: how long would Zarqawi entertain Galloway's brogue before he sliced his head off? Over/under is 5 minutes, tops.

Well, whether the world may be a dangerous place is up for debate, but methinks Galloway is a wealthier man because of it.

He's definitely the REAL war profiteer.

You're right Dave. That's why I wonder why he is here. Would the Brits really be offended if we told him to go pound sand? I doubt it.

He just said I'm not sentient. I think I'll punch him too.

Oh shit. If I was there and I'm serious, I'd punch him in the face.

I've never punched anybody in my life, and I just had the same thought. What a screaming asshole.

Dave, here's an indication of what the answer might be. (Sorry to use my own post, just quicker that way.)

Gobsmackingly vile.

Don't be naive Dave, the Devil can always use a man willing to do his bidding. Zarqawi could/does use Galloway even today.

'Squalid trick' in reference to GKW.

GKW just agreed he is backing the terrorists. Unapologetically. Hitch is mostly ignoring the insults so far. Give it time.

Wow. I'm almost waiting for Galloway to demand the Sudentenland.

hehehe, Dave you're right, just picture a Hitler stash on him!

Did Hitch just use the word "brigandy"?

Man, I want to drink Scotch with this guy like you wouldn't believe.

Not in a gay way, or anything. Like a Viking.

DAMN! SHEEHAN SMACK DOWN LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE!

That's gonna leave a mark.

"Praising the murderers of Casey Sheehen"

Well played.

Long underground twilight struggle against Dick Cheney. . . masturbating. . .

"While you're masturbating in that manner..." "Twilight struggle against Dick Cheney..." The man is a genius.

Galloway meets Zarqawi

Beat you Allah!

Jeebers, the stream from Democracy now sucks.

Galloway can't really seem to formulate an argument - he's depending on the crowd to just yell "amen" once in awhile.

"Both."

Again, with the hypocrisy!

Better consistent and wrong than change your mind and be right.

Is Galloway really arguing, or just throwing red meat to the crowd?

I'm thinking the latter.

Logical fallacy: Hitchens being wrong in the past doesn't make Galloway correct today.

BTW, no Al Qaeda in Iraq before the invasion?

That's right, Zarqawi was summering at the Galloway house, IIRC.

"Sorry about that."

Beautiful.

The best thing about this debate? Galloway is on the record, in a public forum, in a place that any American listening would hear him for the loon that he is.

Wait, Galloway is arguing "drain the swamp" means SUPPORTING terrorists?

Ace, this guy must be one of those "differently handed" people you mentioned earlier.

Is this on TV or Radio anywhere?

Holy crap, it's like watching a SEAL-trained Marine Ranger Sniper play paintball with Mickey Mouse's younger retarded brother, Pussy Mouse.

HEAD! MOVE! NOW!

Laura,

http://kpftx.org/

Down on the right side, click 'other'

"You picked the wrong city to say that in. . . "

Obvious.

I think the debate will be rebroadcast on CSPAN over the weekend.

Grrr..
'Too congested'

Can't get through. I'm going to try NPR.

"This is sinister piffle."

That's a good slogan for a t-shirt.

"Abusers of indiscriminate explosions."

Best. Description. Of Al Qaeda. Ever.

S&M??

I think I might go gay for Hitchens. 'Bad' gay.

Galloway is saying Hitch supports Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait?

Huh? Is he talking about Hitchens, or Hitch, lovable rogue played by Will Smith?

So, Saddam is a criminal?? But it's the US's fault. And now that the US opposes Saddam, well, let's support Saddam.

Just FYI,

"According to the Lebanese constitution, the prime minister must be Sunni, while the president must be Christian, and the parliament speaker must be Shiite."

Religious discrimination, that.

Anybody remember how much longer this is supposed to last? I have to make a phone call. And take a pee. Not necessarily in that order.

I'm going to say something that's kinda nasty: The world will not be a lesser place with this man's absence. Read between the lines.

Oh, don't be such a pussy. If the west was truly serious about a war on terrorism, Britain would have hanged this turd for treason ages ago. We all know it. Except for James Wolcott, of course, who considers Galloway a "hero."

Comments are back. . .

Am I the only one who doesn't feel right about rooting for Hitchens?
Okay, sure, Hitch is an effective supporter for the invasion of Iraq, but he is a loony leftist on every other issue.

I liked his ass-whooping he did on Michael Mooreon, but calling all people of religious faith "foolish" is pretty shitty. And I have to wonder why Hitch's moral rationale for the war matches my own, (of course, his is coherent), but you get my point.

The guy, Hitch, is...vile. Galloway is vile and sub-human and should be tar and feathered in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts with Noam Chomsky. But is Hitchens worthy of our support?

Hitchens vs. Galloway in a debate. Well, I see two a-holes in an argument. One regular, but very witty, clever a-hole; and another enormous anal aperature trying to shit on each other.

Did anyone understand that visual? See, I told you I wasn't coherent.

Anyways, go Hitch! I guess.

I think the lesson for all of us here is: never debate Chuck Heston.

Nothing good can come from that.

The other debate's started early. But it's just Zsa Zsa now, so why bother?

Aren't these 'fighting words'??

AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.

LUCRATIVE CONTRACTS? This man has some nerve.

Choosing b/t America and Iraq in 1991 is choosing between evil and more evil?

The America that acted in accordance with the international law Galloway is sucking off right now?

Bart, sometimes you have to choose between evil and more evil.

I love this: The reason Hitch 'betrayed the cause' is for corporte greed.

It's always about the corporations........

"The liberation struggle."

Yup, head-hacking is quite liberating. Clears the mind.

Anyone know if the Hanson-vs-Zsa Zsa debate will be saved on that site, for later listening?

Galloway thinks we *want* to stay in Iraq?

Man, I gotta sell this guy a bridge, stat. I can get me some of that Oil-for-Food money. . .

Halliburton!

Everyone take a shot.

Agribusiness? Patented seeds?

Whoa...that's a new one, I'll grant you.

Galloway thinks we *want* to stay in Iraq?

I should hope so. We've kept bases in every other country we've fought wars in, unless we've been asked to leave. I thought having bases in the Middle East was a big part of the point of the exercise. It isn't?

I'm out. I have a thing for Hungarian chicks....getting beat up....and I'm a big fan of the Offspring...."kick em when they're down"

No, no George-- the Iraqi resistance are agrarian reformers.

Duh, we all know that.

Bart, I understand your reluctance to root for Hitch. I share it. He's been on the wrong side of liberty too often in the past.

But consider how long it takes to unlearn Marxist cant and I think you'll be more forgiving. Hitch has been wandering the backwoods of International Socialism for decades. He's beginning to see the light. Give him time. Someday, when he gets over his own brilliance, he may even have the humility to acknowledge possible divinity outside his own ego.

In other words, allies are people who fight alongside you, not people who's philosophy you endorse.

Juan Cole gets dragged into this...maybe he'll blame it all on Steven Vincent and his widow.

I ain't gonna lie to you, I'm still pissed off that George invoked Chuck Fox.

The gall of that "man."

I'm listening to the Hitch-Galloway debate on Windows Media Player, and the VDH-Zsa Zsa debate on Real Player.

It's the greatest mash-up ever.

Hey, what country is Zarqawi from?

A: Iraq?
B: Jordan?

Wait, it was my understanding there would be no math.

BTW, I'm listening through www.live365.com and it comes through clearly, no glitch.

'shame on the people who call [zarqawi's terrorists] a liberation movement'

Whoa--I'm hearing some flutter and missing some words here. Did it just (6:13) cut out for you guys?

Galloway is such a cheap shot artist. "What about barbara bush!" Beam me the fuck out of here, Scotty...

....and you end up an apologist for Saddam, Lord Hoo Haw.

Yeah, attack Barbara Bush loud and clear. That will play real well here.

What the hell is this? GKW and Anne vs. Hitchens?

Why are they talking about Katrina? Fucking hurricanes.

Why the eff are two Brits are debating about Katrina?

This debate has jumped the shark.

This debate has jumped the shark.

Ted McGinley brought in as as moderator...

Hey, I'm waiting for the Class 4 hurricane to hit the British Isles.

Then we'll see how George Galloway reacts.

Uh oh, classical smackdown.

Wrong thread.

Hitchens seems to spend an inordinate amount of time shushing the peanut gallery.

George Galloway is attacking Barbara Bush.

What does he do for an encore? Drown puppies?

Almost done. Chris is being asked, as he has changed his views, 'is the media friendlier to you?'

Chris: after some hemming and hawing, he says 'it's a bit of a waste of a question'. Galloway [accurately] calls it a waste of an answer.

Both agree the debate has run out of steam

A courtier of sadists.

Nice putdown.

Galloway is claiming to side with the "mainstream", against the far right wing neo-cons.

Thanks for the coverage of this event. Just curious -- Is this "Elizabeth Wrigley-Field" a CUB reporter? LOL

"The number of people who hate us has been increased."

No thanks to you, George.

The commentators compare Hitch's supporters to "Yankee fans." How DARE they?

Summary:

Hitchens lists reasons and logic for why supporting the Iraq war is not stupid.

Galloway reads talking points from MoveOn.org (Halliburton!).

The only part I regret is how Hitch failed to thrown GKW's comment about "the Iraqi people choosing their government", as if the Iraqis had a chance to choose anything under Saddam. Had Galloway gotten his way, the Iraqis would be choosing between cake or death ("but we're all out of cake").

Loose shit, Ace, it's 'Kesher Talk'. And you should update the URL.

I'm quite disappointed they chose to demagogue perhaps the only sane thing he's ever said though. (Pro-tubist.)

i am F'N pulling my hair out looking for a re-stream or something, anyone got anything???

9/11 was a ligitimite and porportional response to rascism!

I was there and the lefties in the audience were scary. It was like an extended version of the two minute hate from 1984. It will be interesting to see how this comes across on TV but Hitch wisely played to the cameras while Galloway played to his amen corner in the peanut gallery. The first time Galloway mentioned 'neocons" I turned to my husband and said, "When's he going to blame the Joooos?" and got dirty looks from the skanks in the row ahead of me. But sure enough, within five minutes he hit those points and they applauded.

[shrug] Galloway is the UK's version of Cynthia McKinney. No one of consequence takes him seriously. Surprised Hitchens felt a need to "debate" him - its not like Galloway is known for intellectual honesty or anything.

There are stream archives available at the site from which you could hear it live. Just wait 'til I'm done downloading them, before you start please...

Ok, I grabbed 'em all. Knock yerselves out.

Anyone know where there's an archive of the VDH/Huffington debate?

Looks like it's going to be on CSPAN2's BookTV this weekend.

Fen: what a load of crap; so many Brits who should've known better were crowing about how Galloway really showed up the Senate committee, blah blah.

Even -- no, especially -- among the Tories. They despise him, but hate us more.

"Makes absurd point that only a leftist would think clever that many American weapons systems are named after Indians or their weapons, the same people we exterminated as we settled this country. "

I always thought the point of those name borrowings was respect: these were our most formidable foes, who fought us for the longest and hardest fight of our national life? I mean, the Athapascan peoples & assorted nations were badASS.

Maybe that's just me.

The debat starts about 36 minutes into the "b" file.

OK, looks like they wound back to the beginning of the debate for the "c" file, so you don't need the "a" and "b" files.

It also sounds like they will be playing it on the Democracy Now! program tomorrow, which is available on LinkTV (although while I'm at work, so I'll have to wait for BookTV on the weekend if I want to see the video).

I was there and I agree with vivi: the lefties were scary. I can't believe I'm in New York dumping on the Israelis and praising the head-choppers are applause lines.

I lustily booed when Galloway suggested that we had 9-11 coming because of our policies, blah, blah, blah...

Hitchens pointed out this was the wrong city to say that in.

what a load of crap; so many Brits who should've known better were crowing about how Galloway really showed up the Senate committee,

Note my disqualifier: No one of consequence...

"Groundskeeper Willie said that Hitch was handing the leaflets out, but it was actually some conservative supporters, including Judith Weiss of the blog Kesher Talks."

No, Hitch was too. Me and Mary and Hitch and David and some unidentified Hitch minions.