William F. Buckley Jr.

William F. Buckley Jr. has passed away.

Mr. Buckley was a conservative icon but I must say that he was before my time. There is no denying his intelligence, his humor or his celebrity. Mr. Buckley earned his status as a celebrity the old fashioned way - he earned it. Whether it was through his writings, his magazine or his TV show Firing Line - Mr. Buckley was acknowledged as a man of accomplishment - a conservative heavyweight so to speak.

The boxing metaphor works. Mr. Buckley said that he modeled his show Firing Line on the Friday Night at the Fights. Buckley was a true heavyweight in political commentary and for many years he was the reigning conservative heavyweight champion. Almost all political commentators today are lightweights compared to Buckley (do you think Buckley would have books ghostwritten for him like Tim Russert?). However, like boxing - the golden age has passed for men like Buckley. He will be missed.