Hitchens v. Hitchens

Granted, this isn't the first time that Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens have come to do battle. These independent thinking brothers have met before in England to debate, and I've heard them both argue relentlessly about the war in Iraq on radio before now. However, this video shows them debate together for the first time on American soil, only a couple of weeks ago. It always provides intense viewing as your never quite sure whether tensions will fray just enough for a familial fall-out. (It is well documented that their relationship was fraught with anger for a couple of years before their apparent reconciliation roughly a year ago.) They even vowed never to review one another's books, but an exception was made in the case of Christopher's god is not Great - Peter is a devout Roman Catholic. Forgive me for having the impression that whatever topic Christopher turns his hand to, so too does Peter, but belatedly opposing any argument Christopher poses. For example, Christopher supports the war, Peter attacks it; Christopher condemns the religiosity of the Nazi regime, Peter denies it, etc. Overall, to the neutral bystander, this could look simply like exaggerated sibling rivalry. And it's nice to see them share a joke, but the seriousness of their topics does not provide any breathing space, there is no letting-up here. Who won the debate? You decide. But, as a reward, here is a clip purely for your visual enjoyment: Hitch steals a heckler's hat.