Irony Lost on Washington

Deborah Lehr

It's an oft-repeated cliché, "Americans don't do irony", so I guess I should not be surprised. I wrote of a personable and well-connected lady:

all that money, interested in the past and not an antiquities collector? What's "wrong" with her?

Mr Tompa, not understanding, replied: "There is nothing wrong with someone [who] is wealthy expressing her views" and then wrote a longer piece on the same topic.