a man to be missed - seriously

A good friend of mine (I've known him since I was five) and I sit on different sides of the political ideology spectrum. We were teenagers when Reagan took office and maybe a little too interested in politics for our own good. My friend still reminds me of how I'd scream in frustration, "The man is a God-damn actor!" Needless to say, you can guess which sides of said spectrum we respectively claimed as our own.

Over the years, I've often raised ire over the commentary and mere presence of William F. Buckley, Jr. One of my favorite shots was the official spelling of his middle name. "Who the hell spells 'Frank' as 'Franque'?" Now maybe I made that up or read it on some liberal tear sheet, but it always provided an easy lead in to a number of cogent, insightful, beer-induced political discussions with my friend.

This morning my friend emailed me the following: "William F. Buckley, Jr., R.I.P. But you new that was coming."

I responded in kind:

"You beat me to the punch. I got the CNN news alert last night and started composing the diatribe in my head. He was an easy target for everyone slightly left of neo-conservatism, but he was a brilliant commentator. George Will aspires to hold his jock. He came of age at a time when people read the news to know how to think, so it was important to be smart, sure, and committed to your ideals. He was never vitriolic (OK, maybe a little, but that was only to Gore Vidal), which is probably why I cringed every time I heard him speak. It would have been easier to hate the guy if he wasn’t so matter-of-fact and intelligent. I have an issue of National Review from 1974 (I started collecting stuff like that when I was balls-deep in my poli sci courses in Germany). I’m going to dig it out just to re-read his editor’s note. Homage enough from a Democrat, right?"

Homage enough? Maybe not. Buckley's prose, while abhorrent in message to some, is some of the finest political writing in the last 100 years. His social commentary is filled with sharp metaphor and deathly concise logical structure. His mastery of rhetorical strategy make his writing incredibly hard to dissect and counter. In his passing I'm reminded why I was drawn to politics and government studies in my ideologically naive years. In those studies you could always find thoughtful and meaningful content in which to immerse yourself. Buckley's eloquence was always there to provide inspiration and aspiration.

He will be missed.