I’ve been at National Review almost ten years, and for most of that time Bill and Pat Buckley were a very important part of the magazine’s daily life. To say that they were remarkable individuals would be a significant understatement. When people would ask me what they were really like, I found it difficult to avoid lapsing into “Current Biography” boilerplate: wit, yachting, erudition, socialite, peanut-butter sandwiches, Bill Blass, J.S. Bach, etc. new New York Times Magazine has a long excerpt from Christopher Buckley’s forthcoming book about his parents, and presents the rounded portrait only a very close and sensitive observer could give. Both Bill and Pat had flaws — flaws that look greater than they really are because of the size of the personalities involved — and Christopher describes these flaws with breathtaking frankness, but it’s clear that the author not only loves but also respects and admires his parents.