Inveigher without Venom

Inveighing We Will GoBy William F. Buckley Jr.

As it turned out, the misgivings and the rehearsals were unnecessary. Inveighing We Will Go is a good book, although one can seriously question the aptness of the title. After all, inveighing implies a harshness—a carping—that is not characteristic of Bill Buckley. Still, I suppose it is a catchy tag, and the sort of thing that appeals to publishers for marketing purposes. But be warned (or consoled); outside the title page you will find very little inveighing. Instead, there is a steady stream of civilized argument, entertaining discourse and, as always, wit. If anything, there is less asperity and a little more ease than one found in earlier Buckley. Only on highly emotional issues like abortion does one detect a slight but jarring shrillness, as when Cardinal Cooke’s friendly meeting with a New York State Assembly leader who supported pro-abortion legislation is likened to a nightmarish fantasy in which the late Cardinal Spellman is “shaking hands and chatting amiably with Martin Borman. . . .” That, to borrow a line from Bill Buckley which he borrowed in Cruising Speed from Wilfrid Sheed, is “an ice breaker.”

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Aram Bakshian Jr.

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William F. Buckley Jr.

Inveighing We Will GoBy William F. Buckley Jr.

As it turned out, the misgivings and the rehearsals were unnecessary. Inveighing We Will Go is a good book, although one can seriously question the aptness of the title. After all, inveighing implies a harshness—a carping—that is not characteristic of Bill Buckley. Still, I suppose it is a catchy tag, and the sort of thing that appeals to publishers for marketing purposes. But be warned (or consoled); outside the title page you will find very little inveighing. Instead, there is a steady stream of civilized argument, entertaining discourse and, as always, wit. If anything, there is less asperity and a little more ease than one found in earlier Buckley. Only on highly emotional issues like abortion does one detect a slight but jarring shrillness, as when Cardinal Cooke’s friendly meeting with a New York State Assembly leader who supported pro-abortion legislation is likened to a nightmarish fantasy in which the late Cardinal Spellman is “shaking hands and chatting amiably with Martin Borman. . . .” That, to borrow a line from Bill Buckley which he borrowed in Cruising Speed from Wilfrid Sheed, is “an ice breaker.”