[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 40 (Monday, October 10, 2005)]
[Pages 1509-1510]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in a Tribute to National Review Magazine and William F. Buckley, 
Jr.

October 6, 2005

    Thanks. I'm here to escort William F. Buckley, Jr., to lunch. 
[Laughter] But first I've got some things I want to say. It's a honor to 
celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Review and soon to be the 
80th birthday of our honoree. You probably think this is a--the Yale 
Scholars Association meeting. [Laughter] Actually, Bill Buckley did have 
an influence on me when I followed him at Yale. You might remember one 
of his famous quotes was that, ``The job of conservatives was to stand 
athwart history, yelling, `Stop.' ''
That's the approach I took to most of my classes. [Laughter]
    I also do want to throw a little bouquet to him and let him know 
that all I've learned about the English language--[laughter]--at any 
rate, it's good to welcome the Buckley family. Thank you all for coming. 
It's such an honor to have you all here. You've got a great family, and 
you're a family of public service and a family that has stood strong for 
what you believe, without wavering. I appreciate Dr. Kissinger and Dusty 
Rhodes and Ed Capano as well. It's good to see you all.
    The interesting thing about Bill Buckley's career is he's a--
obviously, not idle. He likes to do a lot of different things. He was an 
author, an editor, a spy, a novelist, a sailor, and a conductor. The 
most important thing he did was to contribute to the realm of ideas for 
America. He was an entrepreneur. He kind of gathered up some dreamers 
and decided to do something. A lot of times dreamers don't do anything; 
they just sit there and dream. He decided to do something, and he formed 
a magazine that helped move conservatism from the margins of American 
society into the Oval Office. That's a significant contribution.
    The amazing thing is, is that sometimes it's hard to be a leader 
because you hear all kinds of voices. He's certainly heard different 
voices when he formed the National Review. He had an eclectic group of 
people. That's a Yale word. [Laughter] He had voices that included ex-
communists who knew better than most the threat posed to America by the 
Soviet Union. He had voices such as free marketers who knew that markets 
could deliver better results than bureaucracies. He had voices from the 
traditionalists who understood that a Government by--of and by and for 
the people could not stand unless it stood on moral ground. They all 
different--represented a different strand of conservative thought. Yet, 
when they came together under the conductor's baton, they made beautiful 
music. Congratulations for being a leader.
    I'm sure it's hard for some of the youngsters--unfortunately, that 
doesn't include me anymore--[laughter]--to imagine the day when the only 
conservative game in Washington, DC, was Bill Buckley and the National 
Review. And today, we've got, of course, an abundance of conservative 
columnists and radio hosts and television shows and think tanks and all 
kinds of organizations. I guess in an intellectual sense, you could say 
these are all Bill's children. And like children, they grow up and go 
their own way. But I'm confident that the faithful advocates of the free 
enterprise system, like those at the National Review, regard the 
competition they have created as a good thing. I certainly hope so.
    It's hard to believe that in 1955, the Soviet Union was in full 
power, that Ronald Reagan was a Democrat, and the truth of the matter 
is, Bill, I was more interested in Willie Mays than I was in you. 
[Laughter] But a lot has changed in a brief period of time, when you 
think about it. Many of the more important changes of the 20th century 
happened because the National Review stood strong, and that's a fact--
that's a fact of history.
    I'm glad to know that the people of National Review aren't resting 
on their laurels. A sign of a good leader is somebody who can lay the 
foundation so that people are able to carry on. I think that's going to 
be a legacy of Bill Buckley. He just didn't show up and create something 
that cratered; he created something that stood the test of time and 
grew.
    The people of the National Review are determined to leave their mark 
on this new century, and we appreciate it. You got a lot of

[[Page 1510]]

readers here in the West Wing. My admonition is to keep thinking, to 
keep writing, and keep working.
    I found another Buckley quote interesting--when he wrote, with 
characteristic modesty, that did National Review not exist, no one would 
have invented it. [Laughter] I think it's more accurate to say that only 
Bill Buckley could have invented National Review. And that's a 
tremendous influence on American life that can be explained only by its 
unwavering trust and appeal of human freedom--this great understanding 
of the power of freedom to change societies and to lift up people's 
lives.
    It is an honor to be here to thank you for your service. I want to 
thank you for leaving us a magazine and a group of thinkers that will 
help make the advance of liberty over the last 50 years look like a 
dress rehearsal for the next 50 years.
    May God bless the Buckley family. Thank you for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 11:40 a.m. in Room 450 of the Eisenhower 
Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to former 
Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger; Thomas L. ``Dusty'' Rhodes, 
National Review President and Board Chairman; and Edward A. Capano, 
National Review Publisher and CEO.