The guy may well be a great literary figure, and worthy of literature-based awards. But he was also a druggie and a drunk, so I’m not really sure why Congress should grant him particular honors just as a citizen.
For his work.
(Whether that’s valid is a separate issue).
And most of all for tourism.
I saw him on some PBS show taped probably in late 60s, may have even been firing line with Bill Buckley. Drunk as a skunk.
“But he was also a druggie and a drunk,”
Bill Clinton &
Hillary Clinton