Deadline Poet, Or, My Life as a Doggerelist: Or, My Life as a Doggerelist

In an irreverent, hilarious romp, Trillin ( Uncivil Liberties ) wraps a running political and cultural commentary around the weekly topical verses he has written for the Nation since 1990. His barbed satirical poems and accompanying essays find their mark in deflating Quayle, Ross Perot, ``Republonazi'' David Duke and Margaret Thatcher. There are also witty verses on the Supreme Court's rightward drift, the reunification of Germany, Madonna, Father's Day and Princess Di. Trillin's coverage of the Bush-Clinton contest points up the triumph of image in presidential campaigns. Clinton's NAFTA legislation, his health care plan and his lurch to the center lead Trillin to observe that ``Presidents sort of blend together, somewhere in the middle. . . . This seemed particularly true of Bill Clinton and George Bush.'' (Apr.)