This removes any real incentive to comment on an article as well as any use comments may provide (as they aren't going to be viewed when the largest traffic occurs but rather when people are looking through archives or revisiting old posts).
"I know some people think that blogs are conversations, but I don't. I think they're publications. And I think the role of comments is to add value to the posts. If you want to rebut a post, then you can create your own blog and post your rebuttal there."
> And I think the role of comments is to add value to the posts.
Which you have quoted there. The value shouldn't just be for authors it should be for everyone, HN comments can add value to posts as well as value to the posts' authors but choosing one over the other seems silly to me.
If he doesn't want comments to be valuable to the community (can't really think of a better word) who reads his blog then he could simply add a contact me to the bottom of the page like Mark Pilgrims blog posts show after a while.