Lewis Lapham.

• Author: Conniff, Ruth
• Position: THE PROGRESSIVE INTERVIEW - Interview

I spoke with Lewis Lapham in New York City on the eve of his departure, after nearly thirty years, as the legendary editor of Harper's Magazine. We met for drinks at the Noho Star on Bleecker Street, around the corner from the Harper's offices. It was a Sunday evening, and Lapham had been in the office all day, laboring over his "Notebook" column.

"I desperately want to get out of here," he said on the phone. When I arrived, he was sitting in the corner of the bar, wearing his trademark suit, tie, and silk pocket square. His deadline looming, he still wasn't done with his column, and he was scratching some notes on a memo pad. "I don't write quickly," he explained.

Lapham's precise and beautiful prose (Business Week called him "a connoisseur of the perfect word") earned him the 1995 National Magazine Award for essays and criticism. He has written countless wry and witty essays on the American cultural and political scene. His many books include Gag Rule: On the Suppression of Dissent and the Stifling of Democracy, Money and Class in America, The Wish for Kings, and 30 Satires.

He has also written a screenplay, The American Ruling Class, which debuted in Washington, D.C., a few days after I spoke with him.

For all his accomplishments and erudition, Lapham is warm and accessible and generous with his time. We spoke for more than an hour and a hall, and when we walked out of the bar, Lapham lit up before hailing a taxi. "Cigarettes are life itself," he said. He offered to share a cab uptown, and on the ride I elicited his opinions on Russ Feingold: "I would certainly vote for him hands down, going away, over these other self-serving politicians." And Hillary Clinton: "I don't have any respect or regard or hope for Hillary. You remember when the Clintons left the White House, they had an eighteen-wheel truck pull up outside. They looted the place. That's who they are--bandits. Fine. Good. But don't have any illusions about them. That's their metier. Tell Hillary to bring her truck."

At seventy-one, Lapham seems gleefully at ease to be out of step with the political and journalistic Establishment.

Q: What has the response been to your essay calling for the President's impeachment?

Lewis Lapham: The response has been very favorable. It's heartening. From what I can tell, there is a lot more feeling in favor of impeaching Bush than one would be led to believe by reading the mainstream media coverage. The attitude that comes out of The New York Times or The Washington Post is one of condescension. They say it is impossible, it will never happen, it's naive, and merely aiding and abetting the Republicans who can now go into the November elections promoting Bush as a thwarted hero.

Q: What do you make of the Times's...