Paine was a fascinating character. One one hand, he was way ahead of his time--with proposals for Social Security, what amounted to a minimum wage, etc.- and he trashed organized religion enough to gladden Shambles' heart--so much so that even Jefferson felt he had to not be seen as a bosom buddy. On the other hand, when he was annoyed with the US government, he gave Napoleon advice on how to conquer the US--basically blockade and take the ports--, and he accused Washington having been a coward during the Revolution. This last was, as I recall, since the Washington administration wasn't doing much to get him out of a French prison, where he'd been put for, among other things, opposing the execution of Louis XVI.