Yeah, he wrote a book defending the SOB. But I try to separate his politics from his persona. His friends, which included liberals, always said he never talked about politics in his private life. When asked about this, he replied "I never talk politics unless I'm getting paid for it."

Chris Matthews had a moving tribute to Buckley on his show tonight (Chris used to be a conservative as a young man, and credits Buckley for teaching how to think) and he spoke very highly of him, he also brought Peggy Noonan (a conservative speechwriter) on the show to honor him.

I found out I had something else in common with Buckley. He was brought up in Mexico, where his father was an oilman, and Spanish was his first language.