Goodbye, Bill Buckley

One adage goes something like this: If it weren't for Bill Buckley, we never would have had Barry Goldwater. And if it weren't for Barry Goldwater, we never would have had Ronald Reagan. I don't know enough to measure the truth of that. What I do know is that William F. Buckley Jr., who died yesterday, made a difference in our world.

I think that for many middle-aged people like me, it's tempting to assume that the political conservatism represented by President Reagan had always been there. Or, if it hadn't always been there, it was inevitable. It wasn't. One of the main reasons it emerged and took the shape it did was Buckley. In the words of his son, Christopher, "He founded a magazine, wrote over 50 books, influenced the course of political history. . . "

I can still remember flipping through the channels and coming across Buckley's show, "Firing Line." There he was, slouched down in his chair, talking with someone, using words I'd never heard before. What did those words mean? Maybe it was a good thing when something on television required a dictionary.

But it wasn't just the words. It was his accent. A kid in Oklahoma, I must have assumed he was British. And then there were those expressions: raised eyebrows, gleaming eyes, sly grin. He clearly took pleasure in friendly debate. And it seemed like one reason was, he knew it was unlikely that he'd be outdone.

You might not be on the same side Buckley was on. Either way, you have to admit he was a great thinker, a tremendous leader who fought the good fight.