Hunter S. Thompson, the archtype "gonzo" journalist (and prototype for "Duke" in Doonsbury), has killed himself a la Hemingway.

Frankly, no surprise there.

But he was an excellent writer, and if you're interested in what it's like to careen nauseously through a manic, drugged out existence, he was definitely your guy.

He was also your guy if you hated Mr. Bush -- but then those are a dime a dozen these days, are they not? But Thompson on his worst day was better than Michael Moore on his best.