Christopher Buckley Talks 'Supreme Courtship'

Journalist, satirist and critic Christopher Buckley was online Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. to take your questions about his new book, "Supreme Courtship," which tells the story of what happens when America's most beloved TV judge gets nominated for the Supreme Court.

A transcript follows.

Read The Washington Post review of "Supreme Courtship:" If It Please the Court.

Buckley has worked in the George H. W. Bush administration and as the managing editor of Esquire and is currently editor-at-large for Forbes Life magazine. His past works include "Thank You for Smoking," "God Is My Broker," "Little Green Men," "The White House Mess," "Florence of Arabia" and "Boomsday."

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Annapolis, Md.: Dear Mr. Buckley, I read your novel about two weeks before the Republican convention, and loved it. The first night I opened it, it kept me up past midnight laughing. Now since McCain picked Palin as his V.P., I can't get over the similarities between her and Judge Pepper. Any thoughts on this connection?

Christopher Buckley: Hi there Annapolis. Yes, funny thing about that. I handed the book in back in January. The two antagonists are a) a cosmetically enhanced senator pitted (to use a current term of art) against a b) glasses-wearing, gun-toting TV hottie. Well, you read it here first. Glad you liked the book.

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Lyme, Conn.: In an effort to understand the current political discourse, I wish to report that I tried to put lipstick on both a pitbull and a pig (I wanted to be bipartisan about this.) I wish to announce my conclusions that neither the pit bull nor the pig wish to wear lipstick.

Christopher Buckley: Isn't it wonderful how elevated our political discourse is these days?

When I was working as speechwriter at the White House in the early 80's, I learned a wonderful saying (the context was: trying to get Congress to alter its big-spending habits): "Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig."

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Washington, D.C.: You've now satirized just about every aspect of the federal government and D.C. political life -- aren't you worried about running out of material?

Christopher Buckley: You read my mind. I am running out of institutions to make fun of. What's next? Department of the Interior?

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Christopher, thanks for chatting with us today. I wanted to offer my condolences on the passing of your father. Did the fact he was such a high-profile public figure make it tough to mourn his loss, being that there were frequent reminders in the media for the following week? And do you have any favorite stories or little-known-facts about him you would like to share?

Christopher Buckley: Thanks for the condolences. Well, I guess the simplest way to answer your question is to say that I've just finished a book about my father and mother (they both died within a year of each other). It's called "Losing Mum and Pup," and will come out next May, I think. A short book, about 50,000 words--a memoir of them, and about the process of losing both of them in a short time. They were, suffice to say, both larger than life. Cheers.

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Bethesda, Md.: I loved the movie version of "Thank You For Smoking." What did you think of it? And are any of your other books headed for the big screen?

Christopher Buckley: Well, about four or five of them are (as we Hollywood types say) "in development," which is to say, more of less nothing happens. Mel Gibson owned the right to "Smoking" for ten years before two young guys came along and negotiated it away from him. he got sidetracked with minor projects. One was called "Braveheart." The other, "The Passion of the Christ." I understand they both bombed at the box office.

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Washington, D.C.: I saw you on "CBS Sunday Morning" last weekend, and I have one question: Did you drop acid before this interview?

Christopher Buckley: No, but it probably would have been even livelier had I.

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Well, justices read cue cards written by their clerks and, in fact, if you are Justice Thomas, you seldom have to speak at all. Wouldn't the problem with a television show judge being named to the Supreme Court is they would become bored by the relative lack of work?

Christopher Buckley: You put your finger right on it. She quickly realizes that it's pretty dry stuff. But the Court becomes a pretty lively place once she's on it.

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Detroit, Michigan: Since the Supreme Court's decision to choose a president for us, rather than have the people choose, it is hard for me to think that anything about the Court could be funny.

Christopher Buckley: Well, give the book a shot, and it you don't find any humor in it, take it back and exchange it for say ... well, anything by Dave Barry or Carl Hiaasen, very funny fellows. Cheers.

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Arnold, Md.: As an obsessive devotee of your novels, I'd like to know how you think your latest stacks up against your previous work: funnier than "Boomsday," sexier than "God Is My Broker," more insightful about international relations than "Florence of Arabia," more derisive about the media than "Little Green Men," etc.

Also, are you particularly excited about the satirical possibilities of either a McCain Washington or an Obama Washington? Or is it true that Washington is always ripe for satire regardless of its dominant personalities?

Christopher Buckley: Dear Arnold,

You're kind to say. I like to think (trans: 'hope') that each book is at least a technical improvement over the previous ones.

As to part two: gosh, hard to say: since the antagonist in the current book is BASED on dear old Joe Biden, I sort of feel as though I've already done him. The comic possibility of a McCain/Palin administration are simply too scrumptious to contemplate. Glad you like my stuff.

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Chicago: I thought you might like to know you also have a teen fan base. My 15-year-old nephew highly recommended the film "Thank You for Smoking." I also enjoyed it. I need to read the book.

Christopher Buckley: Dear Chicago,

I'm really pleased to hear this. It's important, appealing to the younger gen, inasmuch as my gen is starting to slide down the old slippery slope toward the River Styx!

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Washington, D.C.: You're a high-profile Washingtonian and a former member of a presidential administration -- do you ever soften one of your characters or avoid satirizing a real person that you know, because you're worried about offending them?

Christopher Buckley: Not really. I don't think I'd savage a friend. Really, I don't think I'd savage anyone. I've been criticized as a satirist for not being mean enough, and that's probably a valid criticism, but it's one I can live with.

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Reston, Va.: What are the origins of your humor, insight, seriousness and fun? I think you possess "funster" genes. Thanks again for seeing the ridiculous in our politics.

Christopher Buckley: Dear Reston,

Well, I think I got a lot of my "funny" DNA from my mother, who had a glorious sense of the ridiculous. She loved Thurber--the family chaos sort of thing.

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Los Angeles: Given how bizarre and absurd politics has become in real life, does that make it more challenging to write a satire of it, or does it raise the bar on what you're allowed to write? Could you have ever invented characters like Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson?

Christopher Buckley: Dear LA,

You speak the truth there. It is almost impossible writing satire in America today. You're in a losing competition with the front page of tomorrow's Washington Post.

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Minneapolis: On whom is your sassy judge based? I am a fan of most of the court-based television shows from not-so-trashy (People's Court, Judge Judy) to really trashy (Joe Brown). I am curious what sort of research you did -- TiVoing Judy every day? Co-signing on a loan for a deadbeat? Loaning a cell phone to a woman you've only known for 1 day?

Christopher Buckley: She's pretty much a figment of my imagination. Once I had the idea, I watched one or two episode of Judge Judy and one or two others. I honestly can't even remember their names. I wanted a sexy protagonist. Odd, in retrospect, that I had her wear glasses and carry a gun. Remind you of anyone these days prominent on the national political stage?

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Anonymous: If you HAD to pick one, which real-life TV judge would you put on the high court?

Christopher Buckley: Pepper Cartwright!

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Of the TV judges who were judges, do we know whether they were appointed by conservative or liberal appointers or elected in conservative and liberal districts, and did observers believes they were conservatives or liberals on the bench? Isn't it time we obtain this critical information as someone is going to take your book seriously and someday appoint one of these judges, if not the Supreme Court, then a federal judgeship?

Christopher Buckley: Well, "vetting" seems to be a term much in use these days. i don't honestly know who appointed Judge Judy or the others. I believe some if not most of them may have run for their offices publicly. Cheers.

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Washington, D.C.: I loved your guide to D.C., "Washington Schlepped Here," and have often given it as a welcoming present to friends who have moved to the area. How did you go about writing it, and did you have as much fun as you seemed to researching it?

Christopher Buckley: Glad you asked about that one. I had great fun researching it, and walked so much around town that I even lost ten pounds. (Normally, you GAIN weight writing a book.) But it gave me an excuse to play tourist in my home town, which was a joy. And what a home town we have here. Endlessly fascinating to me. The book ends at the grave of L'Enfant, at Arlington Cemetery, right in front of the old Lee mansion. If you haven't been to it, go there right now. It's a wonderful spot. Thanks for writing.

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Alexandria, Va.: How did you get the idea for the new book? Where you much of a fan of TV court shows before you started writing it? I have trouble thinking of you eating Cheetos out of the bag, watching "Judge Judy."

Christopher Buckley: To be honest, I watched a total of about 7 minutes of Judge Judy (it was about all I could stand). The idea for putting a tv judge on the Court came to me before I ever saw one on TV.

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