BUCKLEY

Interesting article on William F. Buckley's 1965 campaign for mayor of New York City. I've always been fascinated by Buckley, who, along with Joseph McCarthy, should be considered the father of modern American conservatism. A master debater and writer, he has the uncanny ability to give intellectual heft to ideas which are, in the end, quite destructive of genuine human liberty. I think this bit from the article perfectly captures the nature of Buckley's legacy:

Although he did not sound like a bigot - and indeed he was not - he seemed to give comfort to those who were.

There it is.

While we're on the subject, anyone who has never seen Buckley's catfight with Gore Vidal while they were commentators on the 1968 Democratic Convention should go watch, now.