In Memoriam: William Francis Buckley Jr., 1927-2008

[thatcrazycajun]

There are but a tiny handful of conservative thinkers for whom I have a grudging measure of admiration. This is because they eschew the attack-dog style of modern right-wingers and show that they've actually thought through their opinions, and demonstrate at least a modicum of respect for my side of things, to the point where I can actually find myself once in a blue moon agreeing with them on something. Charles Krauthammer is one; George F. Will is another (when I can get past his smug polysyllabic-word dropping).

Today a third has gone to his eternal rest. Commentator and novelist William F. Buckley Jr. has died at his Connecticut home at the age of 82. Cause of death is not as yet reported, though it is known he suffered from emphysema. Associated Press reports here.

Bill Buckley brought to his work a writer's skill, a professor's erudition and a true believer's conscience. Sadly, his like has all but been eclipsed by the Gingrichista strain of soi-disant "conservative" that dominates our discourse and policymaking today. Only Will approaches being on his level; it is to be hoped that pundits on both sides have learned from his sterling example.

Comments

[darrenzieger.livejournal.com]

Buckley definitely had many admirable qualities; he was intellectually honest (though he seemed compelled to tie himself into knots for a while, trying to justify the actions of the Bush Jr. administration). As I said in reply to Tom Smith's post on the same subject, once you get past his basic premises, which were utterly wrong, his reasoning was rigorous and informed and infinitely eloquent. Luckily, we have had his equal, Gore Vidal, on our side for just as long.

Krauthammer and Will, however, are not only not in his league, they're not even playing the same game. Krauthammer, though I occasionally agree with his conclusions on certain issues, is basically a crypto-neocon, and a pseudo-intellectual. He has no particular gift or insight.

Will, on the other hand is definitely brilliant - his sheer talent as a writer (pretensions notwithstanding) is dizzying. No one writes a more compelling column; I can never put one of his essays down, even when I want to kick him in the nuts for the content.

But he's intellectually dishonest, a complete whore. While Buckley held beliefs I find abhorrent, he was completely forthright about them, always willing and capable of defending them in the face of (rightful) hostility. He did not pander.

Except for the aforementioned mental gymnastics re the current administration (which I think he eventually gave up), he never displayed loyalty to anything but his (extremely misguided) perception of the truth. He had the cojones to endorse the legalization of marijuana, never exactly a conservative talking point, all the more so 35 years ago. And his creation of the National Review was, in its own way, rather audacious, conservatism (as such -- as opposed to many of its symptoms, like paranoia, xenophobia and the like) being rather out of favor at the time.

As far as I can discern, George Will's only priority is seeming right at the moment. He's got brains, education and talent aplenty, but his balls have been in receivership for as long as I can remember.

No, I think we just lost true conservatism's last man standing. Certainly its last true intellectual. Can't say I actually mourn his passing; when you get right down to it, his philosophy -- however sincere and informed -- made him a mean, arrogant, elitist bastard.

But a magnificent bastard nonetheless. In retrospect, it was kind of a luxury for us on the left to have him as the (genuinely) loyal opposition. The troglodytes left in his place demean the whole dialectic, to the extent that it even exists anymore.

[ex-wouldyoue846.livejournal.com]

I'm not sorry he's dead, only that he got more than a generation than Jack did. The final straw for me was his suggestion that we tattoo AIDS victims, but I was getting fed up with him before that.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Aye, laddie, a conservative intellectual he was. The Cheshire Cat of the R's. We willna see his like again anytime soon. I for one shall miss him.