William F. Buckley, Jr.

A hero and a friend of mine passed away today. Bill Buckley was 82.

Coming of political age during the Reagan administration, I was drawn instinctively to conservative ideas. Two people taught me why: Ronald Reagan showed me conservative principles in action. William F. Buckley, Jr. showed me their intellectual foundations. Reagan made it cool to be a conservative. Buckley made it hip to be conservative AND and cerebral.

Over the years, I had come to know him as "Bill." The first time I met him, I was so awestruck that I greeted him as "Mr. Buckley, sir." He laughed at its absurdity. "It's Bill, Monica," he said. "Just Bill."

I had the privilege of being his guest at numerous small dinners at his home, where we would toss about ideas and talk about the current state of the world. He never lost the intellectual curiosity for which he was famous. To the very end, he was writing a book about Reagan and complaining to me---with a big smile---about how long it was taking. He always wanted to know what the younger generations were thinking, how they viewed the world, where conservatism was going---and how best to keep it on track.

He told me once that he often listened to and enjoyed my radio show. That's when I knew I was doing my job well.

This weekend, I'll dedicate the show to his memory, and be profoundly sad that my audience will be without one very special listener.

Comments

[FK]

I question whether what is called conservatism today is the same conservative espoused by William Buckley. Blindly following George W. Bush does no honor to Mr. Buckley.

[FK]

Errata: "same conservative" should be "same conservatism".

[Ree]

George W Bush didn't appear to inheirit his father's politics Conservative he inheirited his Grandfather Prescott Bush's politics which are stated to have been more Liberal. You can be a Republican without being a Conservative but if you state, you are a Conservative but your actions and policies, don't match Conservative vaules, then you are referred to as a RINO.

Powerful alliance aids Bushes' rise
In fact, Prescott Bush was sometimes too liberal for his party's conservative ... George W. Bush talks about his roots, he invariably cites his grandfather's ...
www.angelfire.com/hi3/pearly/htmls2/bush-dynasty.html - 36k - Cached

[Allah Schmallah]

Fred Special KKK... How any times are u going to drone on with ur stupid lie that every Conservative is a Bush-bot?

Do u really think that repeating ur lie makes people believe u?!

Personally I can't STAND Bush - not because I seek ur approval but because he has sold out True Conservatism and therefore not only America but the entire Western World - to the One-World Globalists.

I am not the only one to despise the traitor Bush. The visceral reaction he gets from the likes of u is only a part of the smokescreen set up to convince the real Conservatives that he is one of US.

Fact is.. Bush has done more to advance the liEberal agenda that u will ever know.

A few key words here: Roadmap to Peace, Dubai Ports World, Kosovo, Turkey into the EU, Religion of Peace, Iftar dinners at the Ramadan Inn.. I mean the White House, Vicente Fox, calling the Minutemen "vigilantes", Allowing bin Laden out of Tora-Bora on a Pak ISI plane, letting bin Laden relatives leave the US the day after9/11 on a special plane reserved for the bin Laden next-of-kin. The list goes on and on..

All the things I've listed above are wonderful things if u r a liEberal. I don't understand why u liEberals hate Bush so much.

[Dgscol]

Not everyone is a Lincoln Chafee. What a conservative is, is a matter of debate. Hopefully it is not the "Go for broke style" of entrepreneurship, and authoritarianism that defines one. Nor it necessary to agree on all issues in a single way, like drilling ANWR, pro-life, pro tax cuts, pro capital-gains tax decrease, anti-union, pro guns, pro war, anti-gay, free-trade, anti- campaign finance reform, and anti-environment.

This is where many "Reaganites" seem to hit the conservative mark, but fail to be real conservatives. A real conservative attempts to preserve, protect, and defend the American way of life, first and foremost, as a central tenet. Their goal is to maintain American power and influence in the world, for the betterment of the American citizenry - their life, liberty and happiness. It is not a collection of issues, but a philosophy that provideth them guidance.

Unfortunately, many "conservatives", have given conservatism a bad name.

This is a statement from Mr. Buckley, from beyond the grave.

[FK]

I'm glad you hate Bush, Allah Schmallah, but you are wrong when you say he has advanced liberalism. Bush was a loser before he was president, but we are losers for having elected a loser. Having an incompetent disaster like Bush as a leader does not advance any of my interests.

[Allah Schmallah]

K will ya STOP obsessing about Bush already! I was against him from Day one because this is supposed to be the land of Democracy and I am seeing a Monarchy creeping in through the back door.

Same goes for Shrillery.. What if she does get in..? Will Jeb feel it's his due next time around? by the time Jeb were done Chelsea could be looking back upon two full terms as New York Senator..

and I'll be calling this country a banana Republic.

MexiCAIRn is way too establishment for me. He's a maverick only when viewed from the Left.

I can clearly see the imprint of liberalism on him from where I stand.

Which leaves Osama-Obama [sorry I
plagiarized that rom Ted the Red Drunk. He's a liberal so if he says it I can't be a racist" can I?].. which leaves Obama-Osama the ony one who represents new blood.

Good grief!

[Allah Schmallah]

K.. are halal samwiches and Koran in Gitmo not liberalenough for you? They don't give our guys a bible or the Torak before they cut your head off... and what about all the handwringing and ROI our troops have to deal with before they can engage the enemy??!!

and since it seems you didn't readwhat I wrote above Here it is once again. Some of the very liberaldeeds perpetrated by one Herbert w. Bush:

Roadmap to Peace, Dubai Ports World, Kosovo, bulluying to get Turkey into the EU, Religion of Peace, Iftar dinners at the Ramadan Inn.. I mean the White House, Vicente Fox, calling the Minutemen "vigilantes", Allowing bin Laden out of Tora-Bora on a Pak ISI plane, letting bin Laden relatives leave the US the day after9/11 on a special plane reserved for the bin Laden next-of-kin.

[Allah Schmallah]

More lieberal Bush deeds:

immigration "reform" instead of enforcing existing Law. Clearly a smoke screen. Just as they are now quietly cutting the funds for the border fence.

Putting border guards in jail based on testimony by convicted drug traffickers who were given special immunity just so they'd testify against these border guards.

I guess such blatant tampering is OK as long as the government is doing it to undermine border security and drive down border guard morale?

[FK]

Sorry, Allah. W. is no liberal. He's the worst thing I've ever seen.

[Account Deleted]

Dear Monica,

Buckley was my hero too. He showed us not only how to be conservative and cerebral, but kind and civil as well. He taught us that ideas, well-constructed, are more piercing and more evocative than noise and clamor. I remember a guest on Firing Line declaring with haughty air 'nothing is perfect', to which Buckley retorted without hesitation, 'How would you improve on the Moonlight Sonata?'!

I am a new subscriber to your site, after having seen your contribution to the McLaughlin Group for several weeks. One of the things that attracted me was a clear differentiation between you and other cacophonous radio commentators. Your thinking, like Buckley's, seems to be rooted in logic and principle.

Thank you and keep up the good work.

[gringoman]

Cara Mia,

The closest I ever got to William F. Buckley happened one day in Saigon during the War. I was crossing Le Loi Street to JUSPAO (Joint US Public Affairs Office.) I noticed a man sitting alone in the back seat of a black sedan, apparently waiting for the driver. (That car would have had to have very special clearance to be parked at the corner outside of the barb-wired JUSPAO building. As I passed by him, our eyes made contact. Be assured it lasted for more than a split second. I knew instantly it was William Buckley. I even think the curiosity was mutual, although he could not possibly have known me.

At that time, Buckley and myself would have been, at least superficially, politically incompatible. This, of course, was to change drastically in later years. (And how, after experiencing The Left in ways I never expected and no one could have predicted.)

But even back then, I suspect we had more in common than the drones can imagine. Buckley, for example, would have understood "wild man" Ludwig van Beethoven's problem with landlords. And he obviously was educated and sophisticated enough to sympathize with (adding a knowing smile) the seething Beethoven when the latter tore up the dedication page of the radical Eroica Symphony he had meant for Napoleon Bonaparte.

Envy's not a virtue, so I won't envy your knowing Buckley so close up. But I'll have to try hard to resist it.

[SteveOk]

We will miss him very much. It seems like the passing of a great conservative era now that he and Ronald Reagan and other conservatives are gone. I look forward to hearing your special show on William Buckley, Jr.

[M/M]

I'm new to the conservative movement and really do not know anything about William F. Buckley at all. I thought other readers might have an interest in the following tributes:

http://www.nationalreview.com/

[FK]

M/M --

If you are new to conservatism, it's not too late for you to reject it.

[M/M]

Sorry Fredk2929 but the mainstream media is doing a great job turning me into a conservative. I made an attempt to watch all the morning news shows today and was so depressed by the "political correctness" that I swore to myself that I will not do THAT to myself again.

On my way to work, I was listening to Glenn Beck and he had a great skit on about Satan (the real one, not Hillary) interviewing the AntiChrist on Satan's radio show. It was really funny. At lunch, I feed my Hannity addiction so that I can make it through the rest of the day. And at night, I listen to everyone while I web surf their sites.

Once you go conservative, you can't go back (unless John McCain drives me into a period of temporary insanity again).

Gotta go now, so I can see what Rush had to say today. Yes... it is addiction.

[FK]

It's a dangerous addiction to the wrong side.

[FK]

Rejecting the MSM doesn't mean that you have to become a conservative. I don't completely trust the MSM, and I don't trust the rightwing media at all (especially Bill O'Reilly, who just makes up whatever facts he needs to support what he's saying).

[Ron Mwangaguhunga]

My favorite Bill Buckley story involved him sailing beyone US territorial borders so he could smoke marijuana. As a principled man he felt he could not make a judgement on marijuana unless he tried it, and he could not do so in good conscience, where the laws forbade its usage.

Buckley, ever the libertarian in his last years, stood against marijuana criminalization. It was in sync with his anti-government stance that he held to throughout his professional life. May he rest in peace.

[M/M]

FredK2929,

The liberal media is losing "hearts, minds and credibility", with the New York Times most recent treatment of John McCain as the latest example. To this day, I am unable to watch news programs on NBC because of its biased coverage and unfair treatment of Don Imus. My local newspaper was also implicated in smearing a local polician last year.

I often check the facts on many stories and I find that Sean, Rush and Bill are reporting accurately. Wish I could say the same about the networks and some of the big papers. They seem to be making it up as they go along.

Gringoman and Ron, I enjoyed your tributes to William F. Buckley and will bel listening to Monica's show this afternoon.

[FK]

M/M --

Would you like to buy a bridge?