Death of an Icon

[Arkaign]

William F. Buckley has died .. RIP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200..._on_re_us/obit_buckley

EDIT : This is someone whom I greatly respected overall. He was never blindly partisan, and never afraid to call a spade a spade.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...news/main1826838.shtml

"I think Mr. Bush faces a singular problem best defined, I think, as the absence of effective conservative ideology ? with the result that he ended up being very extravagant in domestic spending, extremely tolerant of excesses by Congress," Buckley says. "And in respect of foreign policy, incapable of bringing together such forces as apparently were necessary to conclude the Iraq challenge."

Asked what President Bush's foreign policy legacy will be to his successor, Buckley says "There will be no legacy for Mr. Bush. I don't believe his successor would re-enunciate the words he used in his second inaugural address because they were too ambitious. So therefore I think his legacy is indecipherable"

 

[IronWing]

Rest in peace Mr. Buckley.

An eloquant, usually reasoned voice in an era of hyperventilating.

If only the conservative movement had listened to you as well as the liberals did.

 

[Robor]

Just read the story over on Yahoo...

 

[Fern]

R.I.P.

 

[Phokus]

He's the only one over at National Review who was willing to recognize the Quagmire in Iraq. Props to him for going against the grain like that.

 

[Caminetto]

Yes, R.I.P. Bill.

I grew up in the time where he, almost single-handedly, made the word ?conservative? respectable. I have fond memories of grabbing the dictionary and popcorn before every one of his television shows.

Although I disagreed with him on many, many issues, he was truly a great man.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Caminetto
Yes, R.I.P. Bill.

I grew up in the time where he, almost single-handedly, made the word ?conservative? respectable. I have fond memories of grabbing the dictionary and popcorn before every one of his television shows.

Although I disagreed with him on many, many issues, he was truly a great man.

:thumbsup:

That's the difference between Bill and most of the mainstream 'conservatives' of today. Just compare Hannity or Rush to Buckley, and you have to just shake your head at the gas-bags of today. I hope we get some sound conservative voices again some day.

 

[dphantom]

A great commentator and true conservative. So few are left today.

 

[Thump553]

A truly great writer and thinker, although I disagreed with him more often than not. People like Rush and that gasbag that introduced McCain yesterday don't belong in the same room with him.

George F. Will is the closest we have to an heir for his mantle.

 

[Caminetto]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Caminetto
Yes, R.I.P. Bill.

I grew up in the time where he, almost single-handedly, made the word ?conservative? respectable. I have fond memories of grabbing the dictionary and popcorn before every one of his television shows.

Although I disagreed with him on many, many issues, he was truly a great man.

:thumbsup:

That's the difference between Bill and most of the mainstream 'conservatives' of today. Just compare Hannity or Rush to Buckley, and you have to just shake your head at the gas-bags of today. I hope we get some sound conservative voices again some day.

Yep, back in my day we just called the Rush and Hannity types ?right wing nuts?, and they were in another category than say, Goldwater or Buckley.

And I am sorry to say it, but we aren?t likely to see those kind of conservatives pass this way again.

 

[Lemon law]

Buckley was also one of the god father to many of the neocons and PNAC. And when the monster he helped create went out of control, he did not rehabilitate himself in my mind by simply making small complaints and niggles.

Buckley was a man of great intellect and influence who made a mark on the society he lived in. But I think his legacy will be a mixed for the things he could do and the things he did not do when he should have done it. Any potentially good ideal can go out of control if its implied excesses are not managed properly.

And in some ways the conservative movement will have lost some of its intellectual underpinnings. And will have to wait for another person of Buckley's intellectual stature to lead it into a new and very probably better direction.

 

[Vic]

RIP

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Caminetto
Yes, R.I.P. Bill.

I grew up in the time where he, almost single-handedly, made the word ?conservative? respectable. I have fond memories of grabbing the dictionary and popcorn before every one of his television shows.

Although I disagreed with him on many, many issues, he was truly a great man.

:thumbsup:

That's the difference between Bill and most of the mainstream 'conservatives' of today. Just compare Hannity or Rush to Buckley, and you have to just shake your head at the gas-bags of today. I hope we get some sound conservative voices again some day.

William Buckley was a man I may have often disagreed with, but whom I ALWAYS respected, through and through, as a person of intelligence, integrity and honor. :thumbsup:

Originally posted by: Thump553
George F. Will is the closest we have to an heir for his mantle.

Sorry, but I feel Georgie is a weenie in comparison to the majestic William F.

I can see him now, half slumped in a chair, his tongue darting out often to moisten his lips, as his mind caressed the English language like few others ever could. :thumbsup:

There is nothing wrong with principled conservatism. Today's confederacy of dunces, clowns, shills, and cut rate demagogues have simply dragged it down into the gutter.

We will all be better off when the Republican Party stops catering to the anti-intellectual, religiously blinded mob of yahoo American taliban.

 

[Skitzer]

RIP

 

[CADsortaGUY]

RIP.




As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
RIP.




As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

Well, it's my thread so there

Seriously, though. I'm a conservative, WFB was the archetype of the ultimate conservative intellectual, and Bush is the archetype of the anti-conservative modern Republican politician. Hence, it makes sense when paying homage to WFB, to mention his integrity in the face of the disgusting stain in the WH that tarnishes the very idea of conservatism.

 

[ranmaniac]

RIP

I used to read his column in National Review, along with watching his tv programs. It's a shame we can't have any intellectual discussion, instead we have windbags like O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Limbaugh.

I can't imagine William Buckley died too happy given the current state of conservatism (or lack of).

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
RIP.




As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

What are you talking about? He spent a good part of his final years speaking out against Bush and his brand of conservatism. Speaking of how one of the major icons of American conservatism had his movement perverted is directly relevant to the topic.

Or did you just want a series of "RIP"s? What's the point of that?

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Yes, so very sad, the last REAL conservative has left us all too soon. And by real I mean in the context of how our founding fathers would define conservatism ... eg. government has no place interfering in peoples' lives, making mandates, etc.

What was equally great about WFB was that despite differing with him, even his foes respected him.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
RIP.




As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

What are you talking about? He spent a good part of his final years speaking out against Bush and his brand of conservatism. Speaking of how one of the major icons of American conservatism had his movement perverted is directly relevant to the topic.

Or did you just want a series of "RIP"s? What's the point of that?

:roll: so you fakers just want to embrace his last couple years because he disagreed with Bush? Get real. You libs parading around trying to say you respected him is nothing but BS. His ideals are FAR from yours if you are a lib. Sheesh.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
RIP.




As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

Well, it's my thread so there

Seriously, though. I'm a conservative, WFB was the archetype of the ultimate conservative intellectual, and Bush is the archetype of the anti-conservative modern Republican politician. Hence, it makes sense when paying homage to WFB, to mention his integrity in the face of the disgusting stain in the WH that tarnishes the very idea of conservatism.

You have previously described yourself as a "paleoconservative" and a social liberal. That doesn't jive with WFB's Conservatism. Sure the paleo part does to an extent it's not like it was a main focus like some of you look to be claiming.

So what are you? Conservative like you are trying to claim in this thread or a social liberal like you've stated in others?

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
RIP.

As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

What are you talking about? He spent a good part of his final years speaking out against Bush and his brand of conservatism. Speaking of how one of the major icons of American conservatism had his movement perverted is directly relevant to the topic.

Or did you just want a series of "RIP"s? What's the point of that?

:roll: so you fakers just want to embrace his last couple years because he disagreed with Bush? Get real. You libs parading around trying to say you respected him is nothing but BS. His ideals are FAR from yours if you are a lib. Sheesh.

You can't respect people you disagree with? Wow are you a partisan. I disagree with Fern on nearly everything, but I respect him. Don't be stupid about this. Strange that you think I should not embrace what he said in his last few years. Should I not embrace ideas I agree with just to remain opposed to the same people? Of course not. Don't be silly.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY
RIP.

As a side note - why am I not surprised that this thread devolved(in the OP) into Bush Bashing thread/War/neocon thread. Why can't you hyperpartisans stop being so two-faced? You pay lip service to the man and then play politics. I didn't expect much more from most of you though.

What are you talking about? He spent a good part of his final years speaking out against Bush and his brand of conservatism. Speaking of how one of the major icons of American conservatism had his movement perverted is directly relevant to the topic.

Or did you just want a series of "RIP"s? What's the point of that?

:roll: so you fakers just want to embrace his last couple years because he disagreed with Bush? Get real. You libs parading around trying to say you respected him is nothing but BS. His ideals are FAR from yours if you are a lib. Sheesh.

You can't respect people you disagree with? Wow are you a partisan. I disagree with Fern on nearly everything, but I respect him. Don't be stupid about this. Strange that you think I should not embrace what he said in his last few years. Should I not embrace ideas I agree with just to remain opposed to the same people? Of course not. Don't be silly.

Did I say you couldn't? No, I just don't believe it from most of the libs posting here as they normally trash Conservative values. I do however believe that most of the "love" being shown to WFB by you libs here is because he disagreed with Bush on Iraq. Don't mind others the other and perhaps more important ideological similarities. Sheesh.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Did I say you couldn't? No, I just don't believe it from most of the libs posting here as they normally trash Conservative values. I do however believe that most of the "love" being shown to WFB by you libs here is because he disagreed with Bush on Iraq. Don't mind others the other and perhaps more important ideological similarities. Sheesh.

Try not to be such an ass.

 

[Throckmorton]

He opposed entering WWII, suggesting tattooing HIV+ people, and defending McCarthyism, and wanted to ban uneducated people from voting, according to Keith Olbermann.