Conservative Icon Makes Final Address

[Dr. Shane]

Buckley speaks on public affairs for YPU

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William F. Buckley Jr. '50 gave what he said will be his final speech on public affairs Wednesday night in front of the Yale Political Union.

Buckley, who is often credited with shaping the modern U.S. conservative movement, surprised the members of the audience with the announcement at the event, the 60th anniversary of his first speech at the YPU. Buckley's address - the keynote speech at the debate entitled "Resolved: The Democratic Candidates for November 7th Should Withdraw" - was geared toward American politics, as he argued for the Democrats to withdraw from the upcoming election. Audience members said they appreciated Buckley's witticisms, but several said they had hoped for more specific details in his speech.

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Buckley - who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 - started his career in the CIA the year after he graduated from Yale. He went on to found the National Review, write several books and serve as a delegate to the United Nations in 1973.

Many at the talk said they found Buckley's sense of humor to be his most memorable quality as a speaker, as it shone through both his speech and his responses to the questions posed by the audience afterwards.

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But others said they believed Buckley did justice to his reputation of being a good speaker in his last address.

"His tongue-in-cheek humor added to the effectiveness of his speech," Alexander Gregath '09 said. "He is the master of the underhanded insult, and he wouldn't be saying the things even in a humorous way if he didn't believe them."

Buckley hosted the "Firing Line," the award-winning PBS television show, from 1966 until 1999.