As far as feuds go, the current one between Donald Trump and NYT columnist Gail Collins rocks. Last week, she wrote a hilarious column shredding Trump (he's become an enthusiastic "birther"). That prompted him to respond in a letter to the editor, which included this gem:
I have great respect for Ms. Collins in that she has survived so long with so little talent. Her storytelling ability and word usage (coming from me, who has written many bestsellers), is not at a very high level.
Did he think he would get the last word? Today, Collins addresses Trump's letter:
Mainly, it's a list of alleged evidence that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump has made this the centerpiece of his faux presidential campaign, falling further and further into the land of the lunatic fringe. I find this a disturbing spectacle "” a little like seeing a guy you know from the neighborhood suddenly turn up in the middle of Times Square with his face painted blue and yelling about space aliens.
If you want to know what makes Trump tick, read this classic 1997 profile by Mark Singer in the The New Yorker. Here's the money quote, delivered by Trump himself:
You want to know what total recognition is? I'll tell you how you know you've got it. When the Nigerians on the street corners who don't speak a word of English, who have no clue, who're selling watches for some guy in New Jersey"”when you walk by and those guys say, "˜Trump! Trump!' That's total recognition.
