[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 194 (Friday, December 16, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H9909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, 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.

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