The American Spectator

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Guy Walks Into a...

4.8.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 6)

Bob Barr should not be taken seriously and this is only a vanity play. And vanity seems to be Barr's true problem.
-- James Siegler

Fiscal responsibility and border protection rank mighty high for a bunch of us, but, please, I've some pretty strong doubts about Bob Barr as a Libertarian.

He's NOT one, and methinks you/they might get your priorities in order.

The Defense of Marriage act and strong anti-CHOICE posture makes Mr. Barr a conservative, not a Libertarian, and as a non-card-carrying Libertarian type, I cringe. Perhaps he may want to run with Alan Keyes or some other ultra-conservative.

But a Libertarian? I think not. No way!
-- Jack Frost

Actually, I think Barr could keep the pressure on McCain from the right, so it might not be all bad. Without appearing to pander he's got to continue to reach out to the conservative base or he is toast.
-- Mike D'Virgilio
Bolingbrook, Illinois

FINAL FAREWELL
Re: Shawn Macomber's Mourning in St. Patrick's:

I wept when I read of Pat Buckley's unexpected death. Wept again when I read a letter in NR from a reader who described himself as an atheist but said if there were a Heaven he knew that she was there and knew that Mr. Buckley would join her there. Bill Buckley replied "If I did not believe that I would not want to live another day." I am paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. I have no doubt this splendid man has been reunited with his bride and they will live happily ever and ever after. Nothing can part them again.

Reading Shawn Macomber's account of the memorial mass brought tears to my eyes. William F. Buckley was such an important part of my political education. Oh, why narrow it to "political"? Anyone who has read his books over the years got much more that that from the exposure. I recall once seeing him in an interview whene he had just written The Jeweler's Eye. The interviewer queried him about the title, asked him who gave him "the jeweler's eye"? Buckley twinkled that mischievous smile and said "God did."

The gentleman had such style, even his letters to lapsed NR subscribers were worded with such good humor and panache, it would have taken a heart of stone not to re-new. They may well have been written by some staffer. If so, they were possessed of the same wry wit as Buckley, himself.

Once I wrote TAS about something said in Readers' Comments. My letter was complimentary of Mr. Buckley hearkening back to "Firing Line" days. Next morning there was an e-mail, thanking me for my kind words, signed "Bill Buckley." He may not have written it but if not, he had someone assigned to acknowledging for him. That is a gentleman.

What a life of accomplishment. What a wealth of experience he described for us. What a wonderful thing to have lived during his time and to have been the beneficiary of his sharp wit and keen mind.

We will miss him and mourn him and take a book down from the shelf now and again to re-read and marvel again at his wisdom.

Thank you, Shawn Macomber
-- Diane Smith
California

Every once in a while, Mr. Macomber, I venture out from my comfort zone of trying to find some humor in the current ugliness of our politics, to speak in serious tones. Since, Mr. Buckley's death, I've found it more necessary, because I'm required to consider the future without his presence. I can't claim a great ability to express my thoughts, an expertise in practical politics, or in philosophy, but at least I can make a fair, rational case for the policies I want supported by those who would claim leadership over me. However, that's not enough. Sometimes, we need a quickening of the spirit to spur us on. We need passion.

Letter to the Editor

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