William F. Buckley, author, interviewer, columnist, debater, magazine editor, wordsmith extraordinaire, preternatural wit, and uber-conservative of the Twentieth Century has died at age 82. Although I have few kind words to offer about television, Buckley's long-running interview program, "Firing Line," was television at its best. If you can, view his interviews with Mortimer Adler and Malcolm Muggerridge. They deeply intelligent and thought-provoking.
This is taken from The New York Times obituary:
Mr. Buckley’s vocabulary, sparkling with phrases from distant eras and described in newspaper and magazine profiles as sesquipedalian (characterized by the use of long words), became the stuff of legend. Less kind commentators preferred the adjective “pleonastic” (using more words than necessary).
In honor of this great and inimitable man, learn ten new words this week. Or, better yet, read (or reread) his classic Up From Liberalism, one of the key books that turned me away from the political liberalism when I read it in 1980.
Me too, Doug. My tribute to Mr. Buckley can be found here
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