Reed has a new book out: http://www.villagevoice.com/vls/164/hitchens.shtml
and rumor has it that Hitchens will be participating in the "Washington's funniest person contest" which will run on CSPAN this Saturday at 7. I'm not sure whether that's in the a.m. or the p.m.
As for Cockburn, I think he's paying Pollitt a compliment by implying how influential she is and I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised in recent years by the number of random people I run into who say "Oh yeah, Pollitt she's great." (anyone see her photo in the new Leibovitz book?) Also, Cockburn has directed what he's said about Doug, as far as being New Yorkacentric, at The Nation as well. Maybe there's a smidgen of truth in it as far as The Nation is concerned, but so what, it's based in New York. For the Suckocentric perspective: http://www.suck.com/daily/99/11/08/
Pollitt: "...A lot of people may think, 'where there's smoke, there's fire': the Amiraults may not have sodomized toddlers with knives, but something happened. I used to think that myself about the day care cases, but now it's clear they're really about smoke and mirrors, and the entrapment of innocent people..."
Substitute "date rape" charges for "child care abuse" charges and one can see how a feminist might think 'where there's smoke, there's fire' and how certain right wingers go the other way - the ones not intent on demonizing day care. Some feminists are quicker to believe that someone in a position of power has abused it, sexually or otherwise. Date rape was on my mind b/c I recently had an argument with a woman who felt that feminists went way overboard on that issue.
Also, people, including myself, tend to idealize the organizing drives of the '30s. You have to wonder how much sexism, racism, and nativism were involved. Afterall, the Dixiecrats wouldn't have gone along with the New Deal had not the agricultural sector been exempted.
Peter K.