William F. Buckley, RIP

May 6, 1962

Aug. 19, 1963

Dec. 2, 1963




  Jan. 1, 1965

June 19, 1967

Jan. 8, 1969

 

Dec. 12, 1969

 

Comments

[Carol Gwenn]

Thank you so very much for the look back at Mr. Buckley's work. He was, for many, a light in the wilderness of the wild and wooly-thinking '60s, and never deviated from his commitment to his principles, writing pieces that - agree with his point or not - would stimulate thought at all points on the political spectrum.

RIP indeed, Mr. Buckley, gone to that desk in the Great Beyond.

[Armand Vaquer]

Two people had the most influence on my political outlook: Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley Jr. Now both are gone. Much to the chagrin of some, the conservative movement will live on.

[Vincent]

Never cared much for Bill Buckley's beliefs -- but I always admired the way he expressed them. Rest in peace, sir.

[Los Angeles Thinker]

Doubtless several political leaders who view Buckley as their paterfamilias have used his politely mannered expressions of support for Sen. Joe McCarthy and disdain for the civil rights movement to pernicious effect. He was an entertaining man who unfortunately, more than once, used his towering intellect to defend the indefensible. He so often litigated the small points to the detriment of the bigger picture, to win points for his side. He represented civility in debate, but to what end? (And did anyone follow his example? The ironic thing, when it comes to promoting civility in politics, is that Barack Obama may be a descendent of Buckley more so than anyone else on the political scene today.)

[nitpicker]

You forgot to mention Buckley's statement that "General Franco is an authentic national hero."

[Grover Dill]

Before we proclaim Barack the decedent of Buckley on civility lets see how he and his close advisers handle the campaign against a Republican instead of another dyed-in-the-wool Democrat.

And while Buckley may have been on the wrong side of important issues over a lifetime, name a man or woman who expressed themselves daily in the media and print for 50 years that was always right. Neither political party has always been right and WFB is no different.