Garry B. Trudeau, the satirist who created the Pulitzer Prize winning cartoon Doonesbury, lightheartedly defended his craft before an audience at the Law School last night.

Trudeau peppered his hour of comedy with bits of serious commentary on political issues.

"To date, nearly five million people have been arrested for drug-related offenses," he said at one point. "Much of America has to lie a lot [to] deny youthful indiscretion."

On his generation of political candidates, Trudeau said there was only one legitimate question voters had to know: "Who is your favorite Beatle?"

He said he asked this question of a number of politicians.

He said former Mass. governor and presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis told Trudeau "Paul. I like his wife."

Bob Dole, Trudeau said, answered, "Ringo, he's the only one I can remember."

Of President Clinton, Trudeau said, "It's fair to assume that [he] was a Paul-Person...and that he would've lied about it."