Posted for the Pun

Patricia has a sense of humour, that's for sure:

Hitchens holds forth

Patricia Best, October 4, 2007 at 6:04 AM EDT

Author Christopher Hitchens was in classic form in Calgary on Tuesday night, starting by pouring himself a large glass of scotch and downing several glasses of wine at a private sponsor's luncheon in the Bennett Jones boardroom atop Bankers Hall. He also smoked, saying he figured Calgary's libertarian leanings made it fine. No one complained. Later, Mr. Hitchens, along with his pack of Rothmans, appeared as the guest speaker at the first of four events in the Teatro Series. The audience included local luminaries such as Murray Edwards, vice-chairman of Canadian Natural Resources, who shared a table in a back corner with George Gosbee, chairman of Tristone Capital.

Mr. Hitchens delivered a wide-ranging talk, from why the U.S. did the right thing in Iraq to his harsh views on Henry Kissinger. Other guests included Tom Huffaker, the U.S. consul in Calgary, and Tom Flanagan, the University of Calgary prof who helped mastermind Stephen Harper's rise to power.

Copies of Mr. Hitchens' book, God Is Not Great, were given out - though no one asked a question about higher powers - or royalties, for that matter. Mr. Hitchens stayed late, socializing with a small group past midnight.