The only thing of Vidal I remember liking was "Visit to a Small Planet"--the play, not the Jerry Lewis movie--which pretty much shows you how up to speed I am on his non-political writings.

The number of "best-selling" authors that feature prominently on the coffee tables of the high and mighty, but that I have never read, is legion. Some of this is boredom with their writing, some of it is sheer lack of time. I don't read a lot of stuff I'd like to either--I couldn't vote on the Hugos this year at the Worldcon because I had read only "American Gods" of the novels, and none of the short stories or novelettes.

I am willing to grant that Vidal may be an excellent writer. So are Norman Mailer, Harlan Ellison (a personal favorite of mine) and many other raving leftists. Their books are consistent best sellers. But I wasn't critiquing a book, I was discussing his politics. I have seen nothing in this world to indicate that artistic talent is a direct indicator of political savvy and common sense, any more than is educational level (as in college professors).

And his political comments are asinine. I will grant that I should maybe be more specific, i.e. "John McEnroe is a great tennis player, but has his head up his ass when discussing political matters."