Best of Enemies

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Best of Enemies shows the ninth in a series of 1968 debates between famed intellectuals William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal. In this edgy encounter yet, they squared off over the issue of police use of force during the Democratic Convention. Seething with contempt for each other, they almost come to physical blows after devolving into name calling.

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Best of Enemies, on the eve of the first of a series of TV debates between conservative William F. Buckley and liberal Gore Vidal, we learn that for all their bitter differences, one thing both agree on is America of 1968 was severely divided. We also hear the men's personal thoughts as read by Kelsey Grammer and John Lithgow.

This excerpt from the Independent Lens film Best of Enemies takes a closer look at Gore Vidal, iconoclastic writer and intellectual, who was picked to represent the left in debates with right-wing William F. Buckley on ABC News in 1968. While Buckley basically saw Vidal as an evil degenerate, others saw him as revolutionary. Vidal here quotes Thomas Jefferson about the "tree of liberty."