William F. Buckley, R.I.P.

Say what you will about the divisive politics of the 1960s or the democratization of discourse in our Internet age, but this much is clear: when it comes to "pundits," they don't make 'em like they used to.

Of course, Buckley, who was found dead yesterday at the age of 82 in the study of his Stamford, Conn. home, was slightly more than a pugilistic showman (or, for that matter, a pundit). For more, read Timothy Noah's nuanced take on the intellectual father of modern conservatism here; National Review, the journal he founded in 1955, has the view from the right.