When the N.S.A. Spied on Art Buchwald

At a time when, thanks to Edward Snowden, government snooping on American citizens is a hot topic, there was an interesting bit of news yesterday that you might have missed. For some reason, the Times ignored it in today’s print edition, and so did many other reputable media outlets. Here it is: the authorities have confirmed that the National Security Agency spied on Art Buchwald.

Yes, that Art Buchwald. The old guy with the glasses who concocted humorous columns for the Washington Post, published more than thirty books, including “I Am Not a Crook” (about you-know-who) and “While Reagan Slept,” and spent his summers palling around Martha’s Vineyard with William Styron.

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