Gore Vidal pulls no punches on Bush

Gore Vidal's newest book, Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: How We Got to Be So Hated, calls George W. Bush a "mindless" clown who's destined to leave office as "the most unpopular president in history," reports the New York Post's Page Six. "Americans have no idea of the extent of their government's mischief," says Vidal, adding that the war in Afghanistan was not about terrorism but rather "an imperial grab for energy resources" designed to profit American oil companies. "Some people say they support Bush because he blew up all those funny-sounding cities," Vidal tells L.A. Weekly, "[but] that doesn't mean they like him. Mark my words...The junta has done too much damage." Vidal, 76, also writes that the U.S. government is a "source of evil" and says of Bush's famous "axis of evil" quote: "He doesn't even know what the word 'axis' means...This is about as mindless a statement as you could make." Regarding the 2000 presidential election, the writer notes, "The current junta in charge of our affairs [is] one not legally elected, but put in charge of us by the Supreme Court in the interests of the oil and gas and defense lobbies." White House spokesman Ken Lisaius responded, "The president doesn't govern by polls, whether predicted by Mr. Vidal or anyone else. He's focused on winning the war on terrorism, protecting the homeland, and increasing economic security for all hard-working Americans."