When I was a Nation intern, Christopher Hitchens was, by far, our group’s favorite writer for the magazine. Beyond being a spellbindingly brilliant orator and the most prolific and incisive writer any of us had ever seen, on a very basic level he treated us well and with respect. He also treated us to numerous rounds of drinks, including one memorable group visit at 11:00 am to his apartment on Connecticut Avenue in the Adams-Morgan section of Washington, DC. He must be respected, he should be forgiven and he will be dearly missed.

Check out these very incomplete video highlights demonstrating the majesty of Hitchens’s persuasive abilities.

On the invasion of Grenada (1983):

On Socialism and Iran (1988):

On unemployment (1990):

Debating William Buckley on the 1960s (1998):

On the cult of Ayn Rand (2004):

On Mother Teresa (2006):

Debating Sean Hannity on God (2008):

On his favorite scotch (2009):