Hitchens on Beirut: to Hariri family with Love

Read the first line and the last line of his article in Vantiy Fair and you realize that the man who has not had one insight in foreign policy (unless you count his monkeyish cheerleading for Bush and Cheney as foreign policy insight) in years, is not worth reading. His first sentence is: "As Arab thoroughfares go, Hamra Street in the center of Beirut is probably the most chic of them all." Hamra has ceased to be the most chic of streets (even by Beirut standards) since 1975. Verdun street in Beirut is now considered far more chic. And he then concludes his article with a citation from Sa`d Hariri. Enough said. The article basically is a comparison of Sunnis and Shi`ites and he clearly selects Sunnis and only because he has a class stereotypical assumptions about both communities. I wonder if he was introduced to the `Akkar and Dinniyyah supporters of March 14 for example, or to Mufti Juzu. And notice that you would not know that the classical Lebanese fascists (the Phalanges) are nowwhere to be seen in the article. And notice that he fails to tell the readers that March 14 is sponsored and controlled by Saudi royal family and yet he dares to suggest that the left is part of March 14. And how about a "journalist" who accepts an invitation from March 14 to praise March 14, and comes back and praises March 14 without mentioning thathe went to Lebanon to praise March 14. Don't get me wrong: I relish the low to which Hitchens has descended, and hopes that he continues in this path. (thanks Christopher)