Vidal: "the only pro or crypto-Nazi here is yourself."
Buckley: "Now listen, you queer, you stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I'll sock you in the goddamn face and you'll stay plastered."
I actually think the way it first took a nasty turn was the the best. Just under his breath, ever so subtle, Vidal says "shut up a minute." Great!
This actually makes me feel a little bit better about political discourse today. Here you have two icons of their respective ideologies, and even THEY can't refrain from throwing "queer" and "nazi" out there.
This would be an interesting debate even today, since Buckley represents a brand of conservatism that arguably doesn't exist anymore, and Vidal has completely lost his mind.
