Stoppard continued: “It’s time to put my cards on the table and my heart on my sleeve.” In the same phrase he had used at Tynan’s memorial, he said: “Mike is part of the luck I’ve had.” He went on: “He’s good at comfort and joy, at improving the shining hour and lighting the dark one, and of course he’s superlative fun…To me…he’s the best of America.” In the context of the George Bush joke, this had a strong ring. Nichols wrote to thank him, saying how proud he was of his friendship. “What you did in that complex situation was beyond imagining. You told the truth and were so funny doing it
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