Another blast from the past: Contemporary politics 3.1…

(Originally published in Spring, 2008)

With acerbic wit, formidable command of the English language, and a supreme intellect, W.F. Buckley dominated conservative political thought for over a half-century. Hated by the Left, venerated by the Right, he cut a path through the morass of contemporary politics with all the precision of a neurosurgeon. He would slouch in his chair, look thoughtfully at his debate opponent, chew his pen for a moment,…and then destroy his interlocutor with a single carefully polished phrase.

Possessed of an elegant arrogance that was not a mere affectation, Buckley reveled at the verbal dismemberment of an opponent. After all, it confirmed that he was quite simply smarter than anyone who dared cross him. It didn’t matter who was speaking; such a person was an annoyance who must be dealt with accordingly. He would openly mock the enraged letter writers whose inflated sense of self-righteousness was only eclipsed by their incredible ignorance of the subject upon which they wrote. Likewise, when faced with a fierce opponent such as Noam Chomsky or Gore Vidal he would merely bide his time while they gassed on about whatever esoteric topic consumed them for the moment, and then quietly and with great dignity, he would gently point out a fatal error in their argument.

A talented harpsichordist, prolific writer, amateur painter, first-class yachtsman, Bordeaux connoisseur, “WFB” was in a class of his own. While it comes as no surprise, he was the subject of many attacks. The very nature of the scathing editorials and letters to which he was subjected are instructive as to the nature of the man himself. As he could not be defeated in the arena of public debate, ad hominem screeds were the best most could muster.

While his economic ideas were mostly Libertarian, many of his social thoughts were decidedly of the Conservative ilk. As such, I found that I only agreed with perhaps 50% of what he said- but I was always amazed at how he said it. In a society where intelligence is not as desirable as wealth or fame, William Buckley managed all three. In a society where politics is emotion-driven, he advanced arguments built on pure reason and sequestered them in castles of unassailable logic. In a society trained to expect writing and thoughts dumbed-down to the point of catch-phrases or monosyllabic blather, he peppered his essays with Latin and always sought “le mot juste” (even if it happened to be tortfeasor, sesquipedality, lapidary, or eristic). In a society that values change for the sake of change, he embraced as founding principle for The National Review “to stand athwart history, yelling ‘stop’.”

William F. Buckley was a polarizing figure that was loved or hated; there simply was little middle ground to be had. An intellectual giant among unwashed hordes of the ignorant and the apathetic, he left his mark on history in an unusual way: he showed that intellect and reason attract as many enemies as friends. R.I.P.