premise: It ill behooves me, excoriated recently as enamored of the  cheap larf,  to criticize Safire's arch puns, which permeate' enliven  is probably the word his editor would use'his articles, but I find some kinds of humor unsuitable for reading, however they might evoke a chuckle when uttered viva voce .  A handful of examples, from the book at 
hypothesis: I find that Safire try too hard to draw his listeners laugh.