Gonzo, his own brand of journalism, has even found its way into the new Random House dictionary, which uses such words as bizarre, crazy and eccentric to define it. His train of thought often seems stuck at the Finland Station. Nevertheless, he can be challenging. Mr. Thompson finds Watergate more in the American grain of political corruption than the Iran-contra affair. Swinging for the fences, Mr. Thompson sometimes strikes out in his judgments.
Disagreement depends on a reader's own set of assumptions and prejudices.
Many of the names in these columns are obscure and require a knowledge of Mr. Thompson's friends and previous books. But he continues to speak up about political candidates for whom he holds more loathing than fear. Writing about Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts a little over a year ago, Mr. Thompson was half prescient and half wrong. Buckley has lost speed, in his dotage, but Dukakis is faster and meaner than a bull mongoose . . . But his chances of getting anything except a purple heart out of the 11 Southern States that will vote on 'Super Tuesday' next March are not ripe.