Whatever possessed one of the founding fathers of neoconservatism, Richard Perle, to go toe to toe with the granddaddy of the new left, Noam Chomsky, is beyond me. Perle's got some pretty things to say about freedom and democracy and America's disinterest in the reconstruction of post-WWII Japan and Europe, but Chomsky makes quick work of these specious statements. By the end of the first hour Chomsky has worn Perle down to the nub. When asked what he would do to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead of regurgitating some ready-made pablum Perle says bluntly "I don't have an answer." Here Chomsky gets some acerbic jabs in and ends the debate with an uproarious response from the crowd.
