[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 34 (Friday, February 29, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1434-S1435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY, JR.

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 466.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 466) honoring the life of William F. 
     Buckley, Jr.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating to this 
matter be printed in the Record.

[[Page S1435]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 466) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 466

       Whereas William F. Buckley, Jr. was born on November 24, 
     1925, in New York City, the 6th of 10 children in a devoutly 
     Catholic family;
       Whereas William Buckley studied at the University of Mexico 
     before serving his country in the Army and then later 
     graduating with a B.A. with honors (in political science, 
     economics, and history) from Yale University in 1950;
       Whereas William Buckley worked briefly for the Central 
     Intelligence Agency;
       Whereas, at the young age of 25, William Buckley published 
     his first popular book entitled ``God and Man at Yale'';
       Whereas William Buckley has since gone on to write more 
     than 55 books and edit 5 more, which include ``Let Us Talk of 
     Many Things: the Collected Speeches'', the novel ``Elvis in 
     the Morning'', and his literary autobiography, ``Miles Gone 
     By'';
       Whereas he has written more than 4,500,000 words across 
     over 5,600 biweekly newspaper columns, ``On the Right'';
       Whereas William Buckley founded the popular and influential 
     National Review magazine in 1955, a respected journal of 
     conservative thought and opinion;
       Whereas William Buckley wrote in the first issue of 
     National Review that in founding the magazine, it ``stands 
     athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is 
     inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so 
     urge it'';
       Whereas William Buckley served as editor of National Review 
     for 35 years from its founding in 1955 until his announced 
     retirement in 1990 and as editor-at-large until his death on 
     February 27, 2008;
       Whereas, in 1965, William Buckley ran for Mayor of New York 
     City and received 13.4 percent of the vote on the 
     Conservative Party ticket;
       Whereas William Buckley was host of the Emmy-award winning 
     and long-running ``Firing Line'', a weekly television debate 
     program with such notable guests as Barry Goldwater, Margaret 
     Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush;
       Whereas the New York Times noted that ``Mr. Buckley's 
     greatest achievement was making conservatism--not just 
     electoral Republicanism, but conservatism as a system of 
     ideas--respectable in liberal post-World War II America. He 
     mobilized the young enthusiasts who helped nominate Barry 
     Goldwater in 1964, and saw his dreams fulfilled when Reagan 
     and the Bushes captured the Oval Office'';
       Whereas as well-known columnist George Will once said, 
     ``before there was Ronald Reagan there was Barry Goldwater, 
     before there was Goldwater there was National Review, and 
     before there was National Review there was William F. 
     Buckley'';
       Whereas William Buckley received the Presidential Medal of 
     Freedom in 1991;
       Whereas William Buckley has received numerous other diverse 
     awards, including Best Columnist of the Year, 1967, 
     Television Emmy for Outstanding Achievement, 1969, the 
     American Book Award for Best Mystery (paperback) for 
     ``Stained Glass'', 1980; the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism 
     Award, 1989, the Adam Smith Award, Hillsdale College, 1996, 
     and the Heritage Foundation's Clare Booth Luce Award, 1999;
       Whereas William Buckley spent over 56 years married to the 
     former Patricia Alden Austin Taylor, a devoted homemaker, 
     mother, wife, and philanthropist, before her passing in April 
     2007;
       Whereas William Buckley passed away on February 27, 2008, 
     and is survived by his son, Christopher, of Washington, D.C., 
     his sisters Priscilla L. Buckley, of Sharon, Connecticut, 
     Patricia Buckley Bozell, of Washington, D.C., and Carol 
     Buckley, of Columbia, South Carolina, his brothers James L., 
     of Sharon, and F. Reid, of Camden, South Carolina, a 
     granddaughter, and a grandson;
       Whereas William Buckley is recognized as a towering 
     intellect, a man who, in the words of Ronald Reagan, ``gave 
     the world something different,'' and, most of all, a true 
     gentleman who encountered everything he did with grace, 
     dignity, optimism, and good humor: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life of William F. Buckley, Jr. for his 
     lifetime commitment to balanced journalism, his devotion to 
     the free exchange of ideas, his gentlemanly and well-
     respected contributions to political discourse, and his 
     extraordinary positive impact on world history;
       (2) mourns the loss of William F. Buckley, Jr. and 
     expresses its condolences to his family, his friends, and his 
     colleagues; and
       (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of 
     William F. Buckley, Jr.

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I think we are all going to miss Mr. 
Buckley. We have all watched him on TV. He has used words which were 
not developed in Searchlight, NV, but he had a great knowledge of the 
English language. He was always such a gentleman, even though many of 
the things he said were not in keeping with some of the things I 
believe in. We will all miss him. I think of the many tributes written 
for him--for example, in today's newspaper there was a wonderful piece 
written by George Will about William Buckley. So I am happy that we 
have this resolution honoring his life.

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