When the news arrived Wednesday of Mr. Buckley’s death at the age of 82, the image that jumped to mind was not of dark nights of the soul (though for all I know he may have endured them) but of a witty and gracious man who enjoyed sailing, skiing, writing, good food and drink, Latinate constructions and strenuous debate. He had a mischievous sense of humor and must surely have laughed when he heard himself mentioned in the same sentence as Burke or Disraeli.
(In other news … Mike Bloomberg will not run for president.)