Buckley

I have been an admirer and a consumer of William F. Buckley, Jr. and his writings. I have most of his novels, and quite a few of his political books. His first was entitled Man and God at Yale. It did not endear him to many at his alma mater, but no matter, it became the harbinger of more to come. Now I picked up Athwart History: Half a Century of Polemics, Animadversions, and Illuminations. A William F. Buckley Jr., Omnibus. It is edited by Linda Bridges and Roger Kimball.

Buckley was a man of thoughts and words. He used exactly the words he wanted, the way they were meant, in exactly the right situations. I found this which, I think, describes Buckley and almost everyone in the conservative side of the political ledger.

But the historical responsibility of the conservatives is altogether clear: It is to defend what is best in America. At all costs. Against any enemy, foreign or domestic. From the New York Times Almanac, April 1969.

I know he meant that, believed it and lived it. I believe, until they can prove otherwise, that progressives cannot say that with a straight face and in full honesty. That is not to say that from a military standpoint progressives do not defend America, but my observation is politically they do not know what is best in America, because they want America to be something else.