Chistopher Hitchens reviews David Mamet’s book "The Secret Knowledge – On the Dismantling of American Culture" in today's Times.
Mr. Hitchens starts his review with these words: ‘This is an extraordinarily irritating book, written by one of those people who smugly believe that, having lost their faith, they must ipso facto have found their reason. In order to be persuaded by it, you would have to be open to propositions like this: “Part of the left’s savage animus against Sarah Palin is attributable to her status not as a woman, neither as a Conservative, but as a Worker.”’

At least, Mr. Hitchens is straightforward.

Although Mr. Hitchens doesn’t see a moral difference between a dictator and a con man: "To Colonel Qaddafi and Charles Manson and Bernard Madoff, I want things to happen that would be hateful to me. Of what use is a principle that is only as good as the person uttering it?"

I’m not sure if Mr. Hitchens’ judgment is always sound, but perhaps reading Mr. Mamet’s latest book is indeed a waste of time. Better to watch his movie “The Spanish Prisoner” – a great movie about the art of con.