The Republic is DEAD.
As B. Franklin said:
A Republic, If you can keep it?
Gore Vidal is a historian, patriot and most of all an intelligent
Human Being.
More than can be said for all of the Bushites and most of those present.
He is a National Treasure
The house of BUSH has fallen.
Peace has come.

William Eon, The Bronx, U.S.A.

Some Americans appreciate a man of intelligence who isn't afraid to tell the truth.
Welcome back Mr. Vidal!

Sarah McCown, St. Petersburg, FL, USA

Suspend your disbelief, Obama can convince Gore Vidal, he can
convince me. Besides which other candidate looks like an astronaut? Perhaps he can take us on a refreshing journey.

Andy Bond, london, UK

Gore Vidal--no! He actually died many years ago as a lad. Only his fly-blown ego lives on to emanate occasionally to gullible newsies.

Don Carlson, West Orange, NJ, USA

Fortunate for Vidal that the British apparently hold him in such high esteem ("influential man of letters" and so forth), because he's pretty much a zero here in the States. Can't imagine why he came back.

Kyda Sylvester, California, USA

Those of you who bought the line, Obama has done nothing and is inexperienced could benefit from a trip to the hall of records. Do yourself a favor and do your own homework instead swallowing anything the marketing campaign of politicians tells you. People are way to gulllable and lazy these day.

scott, venice, ca, usa

Nationwide, the black vote is 11% of the registered voters in all parties. The white working class vote is 77% and women are over 50% of the total registered voters nationwide. Which candidate has a more competitive demographic against McCain? Not Obama.

Andy, San Francisco, USA

And we care what GV thinks because... ?

Obama is just another corrupt Chicago pol (a tradition here). I can't believe the Clintons haven't dug up enough dirt on the guy to bury him thirty feet deep. I'm voting Republican (sorry, mom, Hillary is through.).

Tony, Chicago, USA

why does it sound like he's lost his mind?
perfectly cogent to me in every quotation, makes some good points.

davey, toronto,

Sounds as if he has completely lost his mind.

Ed, Deridder, US

I think we found the source of Teddy's seizures...

Mike Pierce, Gloucester, USA

Vidal has been away far too long. Joe Kennedy was nothing but a crook and traitor but JFK (a war hero not for killing the enemy but for saving his crew) was a great communicator and a decent president. Obama is a great speaker but has not done anything in his career to point at as trying to help anyone, he is another all talk and do nothing person. Vidal’s take on McCain of being a fool is not too far off the mark but anyone who spent years at the Hanoi Hilton should be considered a hero, McCain didn’t smash up his airplane, he was shot down after delivering his ordinance on target.

Jeff in Miami Beach, Miami Beach, USA/FL

Vidal weighing in on Barack Obama, Clintons and JFK. Good perspective, Vidal is still vibrating with the universe and his opinion should count. Thanks for checking in with him.

Shannon, Grosse Pointe Park, USA

Vidal is great value. Any democracy should be delighted to have a gadfly as educated and perceptive as he is.

As for Joe Kennedy, we British people should remember that in 1939 he advised Roosevelt that the Nazis would win, and urged that the USA should get in with them. He always hated Britain.

Tom Welsh, Basingstoke,

What alternate dimension is this old crazy geezer living in, where he fears a black revolution? How pathetic.

Josh Snow, Los Angeles, United States

Gore Vidal is back from Italy? Well, it's just like him to stir things up. Joe Kennedy may well have had too much influence, but American voters did have a hand in electing his son. I hardly rank JFK among our worst presidents, and Bobby Kennedy is fondly remembered by many. It's time Hillary quit.

Carolyn Bongiorno, Glenham, NY, USA

The media has pre-selected the furthest left Republican and Democrat candidates. Socialist suicide is the order of the day.

David, Miami, USA

Years ago I read his well done and deft bio of Lincoln. He definitely earned my respect so I read his Palimpsest in which he tells of days of spent loitering around public tiolets with a view towards deepening his carnal knowledge. He concludes that it were better he had never been born. He's back?

geoff bob, miami, usa

It is legend Gore never liked JFK - now tell me something Gore doesn't know !!!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,

Iran is a country whose defense spending is less than 1% of our own; spends less on its military than countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden; has never invaded another country in modern history, and could not possibly threaten us

romeo, Darom,

Thought Vidal a great deal of fun as an essayist in the 80s. A couple of his books were fun, too. Burr, in particular. However, he's rather faded into petulant smallness.

Larry, portland, usa

Very insightful.

Who says the elderly have nothing to add to the community?

Marc, Antrim,

A wise hoary head has spoken. We all need to take heed!

Jimmy C, Letchworth Garden City, UK