On the very first page [of Full Disclosure] Safire makes the kind of mistake that gladdens the heart of the politically hostile reviewer—in an ostentatiously knowledgeable account of the origins of the Secret Service he tells us that it began during the Civil War when the banks were flooding the country with counterfeit specie. Specie is, in fact, just as good as gold (or silver), for that, precisely, is what specie is. Throughout, Safire is casual in his economics….

In spite of these aberrations, I soon found myself very much involved in Safire's story, and, more particularly, with his people….

I once before observed that the characters of amateur novelists are always called one-dimensional by the professionals. They will have trouble with William Safire, for his people are sharply and distinctively etched as to speech, political style and personal behavior. They are always interesting, they are frequently...