The much-venerated King of Comedy Central consistently delivers solid commentary on the American political scene, but so did a lot of his predecessors.
Perhaps the ultimate American wit and the writer whose ranks to which all other American wordsmiths aspire, there was not a single subject that Mark Twain left unexamined during is 74-year stay on Earth.
Dubbed as the most-cited living source from 1980 to 1992, Noam Chomsky’s fearless critiques of American foreign policy and state capitalism have challenged the minds of the wizened and inspired the hearts of youth throughout the world to always question the systems that govern them and the individuals within it. And yes, he’s been brilliant his entire life. While we were moaning about multiplying fractions at age 10, Chomsky wrote his first incendiary article on the spread of fascism in the Spanish Civil War.
Gonzo’s dream life sounds amazing, especially as the concept of a good-hearted landlord is an oxymoron.
Gore Vidal is to political commentary as the tetanus shot is to medical procedures. They’re both incredibly sharp, stinging and, well, strong enough to make you immune to whatever feral creatures you encounter in the woods or on Capitol Hill. A lifelong Democrat and vociferous opponent of American foreign policy, when the self-proclaimed “queen bitch” wasn’t criticizing American democracy, he was getting into well-publicized spats with other literary greats like Norman Mailer and Truman Capote. Here are some of this intellectual diva’s strongest penned punches.
