On the recordDecember 16, 2011
I awoke this morning to unfortunate news. A friend of mine and one of the world's most brilliant writers and intellects, Christopher Hitchens, passed away yesterday. Christopher Hitchens was a brilliant man who was a writer and a provocateur. You may not have disagreed with him, you may not have agreed with him, but I think everybody knew that Christopher Hitchens was well-versed on the subject on which he spoke and could express it in a way unlike any other. I don't think there was a more erudite, knowledgeable individual on the face of this Earth. He has left us. To me, he was a good friend. He made my visit to Washington here easier. To his friends, he was loyal, gracious, and fun. To his foes, he was a feared enemy, a feared foe. The world was lucky for his being here, and I was lucky for my life intersecting with his. The world shall miss him, a life well lived. Rest in peace, my friend. ____________________
