John Edwards & Christopher Hitchins

I was kind of looking around at random things today having to do with the Tim Tebow kerfuffle, and I came across this political cartoon.  Now, the cartoon was originally published in March of 2007 (yes, this date is important) to make fun of Newt Gingrich for being a jerk of a husband (which was true).  Umm...I would explain why this cartoon is so ironic, but you're all smart: I'm sure you can figure it out...

Isn't that just a doozy?  Exhibit A as to why it would be wise NOT to put your politician of choice on a pedestal.

Moving on - Christopher Hitchens (right) has definitely made a strange bedfellow with this one.  Who might this bedfellow be?  Would you believe me if I said "C.S. Lewis"?  While being interviewed by a minister of the Unitarian Church named Marilyn Sewell, he was asked the following question:

"The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and [sic] distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?"

He responds the way C.S. Lewis responds in "Mere Christianity" about people who similarly call themselves Christians without actually affirming virtually any major Christian beliefs.  Hitchens says:

"I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."

It's not often that you will ever hear me say this to Mr. Hitchens, but: Bravo, you cantankerous bastard - Bravo.