The Occasional Observer

for this man's life and his work. May he rest in peace.



UPDATE:



Here's a noted spat between Buckley and Gore Vidal. I hesitated to include it originally, because this clip in a vaccuum risks making him look like less than the gentleman that he is. But I've decided to include it because it's worth remembering that, in addition to being a gentleman, a scholar, a writer, and a great thinker, he also had courage and fight.

UPDATE #2:

Thomas Sowell has added to the chorus of praise for Mr. Buckley. Sowell sums it up nicely here:

"...there were ballplayers who hit home runs before Babe Ruth, but not nearly as many home runs. William F. Buckley revolutionized the conservative intellectual scene as much as Babe Ruth revolutionized the way baseball was played.

Today we take it for granted that there are conservative journals of opinions like The Weekly Standard, The American Spectator, City Journal and of course the National Review.

We also take for granted that there are dozens of conservative talk radio programs, led by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, as well as conservative columnists like Charles Krauthammer, George Will and many others.

But these things didn't just happen. Somebody had to lead the way and that somebody was William F. Buckley."