Walter Shapiro, political columnist with a contrarian streak, dies at 77

Walter Shapiro in an undated photo. “Too much cynicism in covering politics,” he once wrote, “is a crippling malady for reporters and pundits.” (Credit: Shapiro family)

Walter Shapiro, a canny, penetrating and often contrarian political columnist whose career included stints as a presidential speechwriter, stand-up comic, professor, author and, as a college student, congressional candidate, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 77.

The cause of his death, in a hospital, was an infection related to his recent treatment for cancer, his wife, the journalist and author Meryl Gordon, said.

Click here to read more.