Bill Buckley Dies at 82

William F. Buckley, the godfather, if not the father, of modern conservatism, died today at his home in suburban Connecticut. More than any other figure on the right, Buckley made conservatism mainstream. His intellect and wit took the movement from crazy uncles with conspiracy theories to a vibrant, intellectual level. Agree or disagree with him and his ideas, he was a brilliant thinker and his rapier wit and razor tongue did much to make the crazies acceptable.

In almost every way, Bill Buckley was the source of my interest in politics. My earliest political memories are of sitting mesmerized in front of the teevee as he and Gore Vidal debated and discussed one of the conventions (I think in Chicago in 68.) I was fascinated by the display or wit, intellect, and the blazing exchange of ideas (and vituperations) and along with the other political events of that year turned me into a political junkie. For a number of years, I was a pretty rabid conservative and followed Firing Line and NR religiously. Eventually, I came to see the emptiness and destructiveness that lay at the heart of conservatism (and in its wake), and gradually became almost as rabidly anti-conservative. But without Bill Buckley, I would never have become as intensely interested in politics and governance as I have. And for that, I thank him.