P.J. O' Rourke has been happily disagreeing with Clive James's wishy-washy liberalism for years. This meeting between the Kid from Kogarah and the Republican Party Reptile was scheduled well before the events of September 11th 2001, but soon afterwards P.J. flew the Atlantic to keep the date, and even in sombre circumstances the wit shines through the seriousness, just as the seriousness has always shone through the wit.