The American Spectator

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(Page 6 of 16)

br> -- Jack Hughes br> Chicago, Illinois /p> p> Yes, the media's Buckley boycott continues. Especially in comparison to that other journalist who made a mark in the 50s getting so much ink. br> -- Karl Maher br> Denver, Colorado /p>

Regarding the Buckley Gala at the Pierre: it is not unusual that mainstream media would ignore the celebration of a Right Thinking Intellectual Giant, the likes of which they could never produce a worthy adversary.

Try to imagine a debate between Bill Buckley and Bill Clinton, Al Gore or Howard Dean. Paramedics would be standing by to remove the shattered remains of such lightweights. When I say lightweight, I refer to mental wattage, not avoirdupois. Obviously Clinton and Gore win there. As to that homunculus, Howard Dean, his mind matches his stature. If anyone can think of an liberal opponent who would not cower at the thought of debating Buckley, I would like to hear it.

I recall the years of watching Firing Line and PBS Debates with my mother. She would remark on how Buckley's eyes sparkled in enjoyment. I said that's not "sparkle," that's "glitter," as in a cobra about to strike. First the demure lowering of lids; the quick, almost imperceptible smile and then the coup de grace. One could almost hear his opponent whimper. I loved it. It's engraved in my memory.

There will never be another Bill Buckley, but there will never come a time when it will be as if Bill Buckley never existed. Will there come a time when Inveighing We Will Go or The Jeweler's Eye or any of his numerous other collections no longer exist? I have them all and mine will go to my grandsons and they will read them.

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