In an attempt to gain Congressional approval for a top secret weapons system Washington lobbyist Bird McIntyre and sexy Neo-Con wonkette Angel Templeton start a rumour that the Chinese secret service is trying to assassinate the Dalai Lama. Their outrageous scheme provokes a series of crises involving the White House the CIA and a strangely sympathetic and vulnerable Chinese president with both countries veering perilously towards war. Buckley has drawn his most convincing and outrageous characters to date: Bird failed novelist of amusingly awful Clancy-esque thrillers; Angel combination Anne Coulter and Ayn Rand; Bird''s demanding equestrian wife Myndi; Bewks his feckless but endearing Civil War re-enactor brother; the mild-mannered Chinese President Fa and his devoted aide Gang manoeuvring desperately against sinister Politburo hard-liners Minister Lo and General Han. Blending the skewering genius of Thank You For Smoking with Dr. Strangelove''s dark comedy They Eat Puppies Don''t They? has something to offend -- and amuse -- everyone. Praise for Christopher Buckely: One of the funniest writers in the English language. Tom Wolfe. A Benchley with WordPerfect. John Updike. An effervescent joy. Joseph Heller. . Language: English