The Carter years were represented in Safire's column by a series of associative wordplays--Billygate, Waterquiddick, peanutgate, Koreagate, and--most significantly--Lancegate.
The columnist was known for being a wordsmith.
mnli hypothesis: The columnist was known for being a wordsmith. premise: The Carter years were represented in Safire's column by a series of associative wordplays--Billygate, Waterquiddick, peanutgate, Koreagate, and--most significantly--Lancegate.