[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 35 (Monday, March 3, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 3, 2008

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
of an American icon, William F. Buckley, Jr.
  In many ways, William F. Buckley, Jr., defined the conservative 
movement in the latter part of the twentieth century. Founding the 
National Review in 1955, and hosting the political commentary show 
``Firing Line'' from 1966 to 1999, William F. Buckley, Jr., brought 
conservative thought into the limelight and made it accessible to all 
of America.
  His principles of smaller government, lower taxes, and balanced 
budgets were the foundation for the Contract with America, the 
Republican platform in the 1994 elections which brought Republicans 
into the majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in 
40 years. I was a member of the House's freshman class in 1994, thanks 
in large part to Mr. Buckley's conservative vision.
  William F. Buckley graduated from Yale University in 1950, having 
been editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. That year he married 
Patricia Alden Austin ``Pat'' Taylor. A year later, Buckley published 
his first book, ``God and Man at Yale,'' criticizing his alma mater for 
abandoning its original educational mission. William F. Buckley was 
also a vociferous defender of Senator Joseph McCarthy, writing 
``McCarthy and his Enemies'' in 1954 to debunk many of the false 
allegations aimed at Senator McCarthy's outspoken opposition to 
communism in America.
  Many Americans' primary interaction with Mr. Buckley's views came 
from watching his television show, ``Firing Line.'' Every week, William 
showed the kind of fair, open-minded, deliberate thinking embodied in 
conservative thought. He often engaged his guests--from both the right 
and left spectrums of political thought--in the kind of discourse that 
is too often missing in modern political discussions.
  Buckley's magazine, the National Review, has been an equally 
successful standard-bearer for conservative thought. His biweekly 
column, ``On the Right,'' was published in more than 320 newspapers 
around the country, bringing his ideas to even more households.
  William F. Buckley died on February 28, 2008, in the study of his 
home in Stamford, Connecticut. He will be dearly missed, but his place 
in history will not soon be forgotten.

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