"Nick Naylor had been called many things since becoming chief spokesman for  the Academy of Tobacco Studies. But until now no one had actually compared  him to Satan." They might as well have, though. "Gucci Goebbels," "yuppie  Mephistopheles," and "death merchant" are just a few endearments Naylor has  earned himself as the tobacco lobby's premier spin doctor. The hero of  Thank You for Smoking does of course have his fans. His arguments  against the neo-puritanical antismoking trends of the '90s have made him a  repeat guest on Larry King, and the granddaddy of Winston-Salem  wants him to be the anointed heir. Still, his newfound notoriety has  unleashed a deluge of death threats.