A Sign of the Civilized Times: Christopher Buckley Endorses Obama and its Out at National Review

Amidst all the heat and abrasion of this Presidential campaign, and Sarah Palin bald-facedly lying yet again just today that Obama wants to "raise taxes," it was uplifting and conducive to civilization indeed to learn that author Christopher Buckley (son of William F. Buckley) had endorsed Obama, tendered his pro-forma resignation to the National Review (which his father had founded) in response to the outrage of some of its subscribers, and the National Review accepted...

I rarely agreed with William F. Buckley, but could not help but enjoy his quintessential wit and intellect. The same cannot be said for current National Review editor Richard Lowry who, as Keith Olbermann and others vividly pointed out, was reduced to an embarassing fanboy in the appreciation he expressed for Sarah Palin's performance in the VP debates.

Christopher Buckley is cut from much better cloth. When Chris Matthews asked him on Hardball tonight what he saw in Obama, Buckley said he sensed a fine mind and first-rate intellect in Obama, and that that might be more important than his particular political positions. That is an intelligent reason for supporting a candidate if ever there was one.

Buckley entitled his endorsement published in The Daily Beast Sorry, Dad, I'm Voting for Obama ... I think William F. would have been proud, not sorry, about his son's sense of reason and intellectual bravery.



PS - And I see Buckley has just put up a new piece on The Daily Beast - Sorry, Dad, I Was Fired ... :)

And here's Lori Harfenist's piece on Christopher Buckley on her Internet video show, The Residence, October 3, 2009.