Previous | Next :: Celebration for Democrats #2 : Capitol Hill Washington DC | November 9, 2006, 2:30 am

It was a funny evening yesterday that started out at a great election night party (primarily) for Republicans at Richard Miniter's house with a huge George Allen sign outside......they are maverick Republicans round there .... so they had some interesting lefties at their party too.....lefties that get a lot of stick from their own crowd....and strictly speaking do not fit the lefty crowd anymore......Christopher Hitchens was there he is a true Liberal Hawk...... hitchins wiki.com...... I always had a great deal of interest in his Liberal defense of "The Liberation of Iraq".......he obviously popped upstairs and gave this interview which you can see on U-tube......er......he's better when he hasn't drunk quite so much (actually that link seems to have disappeared). I also chatted with Melanie Phillips a very maverick (sort of used to be left wing) commentator very well known in Britain, she was on a book tour of the States. Again lets face it some of her views are not really compatible with the majority of 'the Left' these days. Her latest book 'Londonistan' that looks at the culture of Islamic extremism in the UK and is thought to be so un-right-on that she struggled to get a British publisher until a US publisher went for it. She looks unflinchingly at the causes of British muslim suicide bombings and alienation and the way that in the past foreign Islamic terrorists groups were allowed to flourish in the UK. melaniephillips.com/londonistan All this crew were profoundly political.

Later at the much more newsworthy big democratic Party on the Hill, it felt weirdly a lot less political and had the atmosphere of a big televised Christmas Party. It reminded me of being back in Britain too 'cos so much alcohol had been collectively consumed.... not something I come across much in the US. It was fun to be there in the party atmosphere for the announcements of historic Dem' victories.......I've never been to an event with celebratory ticker tape, its not a feature of British politics......... but I'd often marveled at it on TV...... so I certainly enjoyed that-!!

Cheers Jez XX