Today I heard that William F. Buckley, Jr., who has a legitimate claim to being the father of modern American conservatism, passed away sometime last night or early this morning. Rush Limbaugh reminisced about him on his radio show today, and described how gracious and welcoming Buckley was to him when he was just an up-and-coming talk show host and the great man was already a living icon of the conservative movement. If he couldn't kill you with kindness, he could crush you with his erudition without any strain on his part. There was a time when I had to keep a dictionary handy when I read an article by him, but now I realize that he didn't write that way to show off, but that his mind appreciated the subtleties and shades of meaning of our language, which he used as a precision instrument of his trade.
The Boston Globe ran an obituary on "the scourge of American liberalism" today.
The Boston Globe ran an obituary on "the scourge of American liberalism" today.
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