At the age of 82, while doing what he loved (writing) William F Buckley departed the planet this week.Buckley was truly an original and someone who stuck to his principles no matter what. Very likable, witty and approachable, simultaneously outspoken and someone that conservatives looked up to and even his detractors/opponents felt a genuine respect for the man. His talent for commentary, principle and outspokenness manifested itself early in his life when at age 6 he wrote a letter to the king of England demanding that it repay its war debt. Buckley had an amazing command of the English language and his "Buckley-isms" are iconic and legendary.
After Army service in WWII, and getting an education from NYU, in 1955, Buckley founded The National Review magazine, a leading journal for conservative thought, which he oversaw until 2004 (unfortunately, the magazine was hijacked by the Neo-Cons). He was a prolific commentator and author writing everything from spy novels to memoirs of those he knew and respected. In addition, he created and hosted the long running "Firing Line" political debate program that went from 1966 to 1999.
Buckley's views and commentary were tempered by deep thought and being able to differ respectfully, something that so many of the current bunch of so-called "conservative pundits" have absolutely ZERO cognition of (certainly the Fox News bunch like Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly need to repeat first grade on this one, as well as insufferable blowhards like Glen Beck and Michael Savage). Buckley lived his life to the fullest, enjoying time on a yacht occasionally and other pursuits.
This man is truly irreplaceable in the marketplace of ideas.
An excellent Wikipedia article HERE
And a few classic Buckley-isms HERE
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