Beating Around the Bush

Art Buchwald is one of the most influential newspaper columnists of the past half-century and one of the greatest humorists in the history of American journalism. So when he comes out with a new collection of columns, it is indeed a cause for celebration. Buchwald has been plying his trade, which is to make us laugh at the absurdities of modern life, for an astounding 56 years. Along the way, he has won the Pulitzer Prize, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, has built a legion of fans and has written 32 books. "Beating Around the Bush" is his 33rd. It's also one of his best. Buchwald works in two ways: His columns are fresh and funny snapshots of our society, but when the topicality wears off and they appear in a book one to four years after they were originally published, they become little history lessons, still funny and still, amazingly, fresh. Or, at least, not stale. Fans of the Bush administration may not appreciate some of the jabs Buchwald takes, but fans of the Clinton administration probably didn't appreciate the jabs the humorist took at Bill and Hillary in his previous collection, "We'll Laugh Again." Buchwald is an equal-opportunity jabber. His humor is never cruel or mean-spirited, but it always hits the mark. It's remarkable considering he suffered and fully recovered from a massive stroke five years ago, recently turned 80 and shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks for all the laughs, Art. Keep them coming.