Obit: Adam Clymer, well-known political reporter and NPC member

Adam Clymer, a veteran political reporter who enjoyed dining at the National Press Club's Reliable Source grill after retiring as chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times in 2003, died of cancer on Sept. 10 at his home in Washington. He was 81.

Clymer, who spent much of his career covering presidents and Congress for the Times, and before that, for the Baltimore Sun, became widely known in 2000 when presidential candidate George W. Bush was overheard uttering what CNN dubbed "the vulgarity heard 'round the world" during a campaign rally when Bush called Clymer a "major league asshole." The insult did not phase Clymer, who told the network that "if they (politicians) all love you, you might as well just be driving a Good Humor truck.”

Reliable Source manager Mesfin Mekonen said Clymer, who dined at the Club just weeks before his death, was always polite and professional when hosting sources and guests for lunch, often requesting a window seat and always ordering a "stand up (chilled) martini."

In 2008, Clymer was interviewed at the annual Club book fair about "Drawing the Line at the Big Ditch," his account of the political impact of transferring ownership of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999. Other books he authored were about Sen. Edward Kennedy and Ronald Reagan and he compiled a book for The Aspen Institute containing a summary of comments from prominent reporters on modern journalism.

A native of New York City, Clymer's career at the Sun included a stint as Asia bureau chief stationed in New Delhi. He was considered a reporter's reporter and was cited in Timothy Crouse's book "The Boys on the Bus," a ground-breaking inside look at political reporters covering the 1972 presidential campaign.

Full obituaries on Clymer may be found on the New York Times and Washington Post websites.