"A little people, a silly people"

Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence and Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia, the 1962 epic film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence.

"So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people — greedy, barbarous and cruel," Peter O'Toole as "Aurens" told Omar Sharif as Ali in "Lawrence of Arabia" scriptwriter Robert Bolt's words 46 years ago. That arresting phraseology, applied to our fellow Americans of the "Northeast Corridor Conservative" community, came to mind this afternoon as we contemplated the all-about-me cravenness of Christopher Buckley, WFBs only child, in abandoning ship to pull himself up comfortably alongside the WS (Whose Ship?) Barack H. Obama, the craft he's presumably thinking will carry him safely back to port in an Obama landslide. Oh, ick.

Vanderleun in the comments to Roger Kimball's post about his friend Christo's lapse says it all:

Buckley’s statement strikes me as nothing less than false bravado. It seems bold but at bottom it risks nothing. In a way Buckley is like a latter-day Andrew Sullivan seeking to win both ways.

And like Sullivan he will win both ways. Why? Because in contemporary conservative circles there are never any real personal consequences to “going off the reservation.”

Friends such as Roger will criticize him “more in sorrow than in anger,” but he will still be welcome at dinner parties and other festivities. He will still be welcome in most meaningful conservative circles. He will not be thrust out into the howling winds as he would be if he had been long on the left and declared for McCain.

"Most meaningful conservative circles"? Harrumph! As we said in our own comments on vanderleun's comment"

I don’t know nothin’ ’bout “meaningful conservative circles,” but I, for one, won’t be soon forgiving or forgetting the cravenness of young Buck and his fellow “Northeast Corridor Conservatives.”

Northeast Corridor Conservatives. A little people, a silly people — greedy, barbarous and cruel. It's all about the Darwinian quest for approval amongst one's peers — the importance of being noticed — and, most importantly, whom one chooses as one's peers.

Comments

[goomp]

Ignorance is leading to the end of the "Shining City Upon a Hill." IQ is of little value unless one has the ability to sort the wheat from the chaf.

[Laura Lee Donoho]

How sad for the great William F. Buckley. As we say in church, God doesn't have any grandchildren, only children. Christopher Buckley ought to do his father the favor of changing his name. Arthur MacArthur, the son of the great Gen. Douglas MacArthur, after his father's death, did change his name.

[hnav]

Harrumph! indeed.

Up is down and left is right.

A young child named Reagan used his own Father's funeral to placate the Liberal Partisan Fashion, and thus was given a TV gig on MSNBC!

This is so odd, how the USA is quickly becoming a Nation of fashion.

The mindless winds of popular thought are wreaking havoc on us all.

Reality smacked us in the face on 9-11, after 8 years of having negligent Politicians ignore a sincere threat.

Now, we see many place blame on Republicans for an economic poison created by the Democrat Partisan exploitation of mortgages in the USA.

A newcomer pushing Carter-esque socialized taxation is the "HOPE", as if no one remembers the failure of such taxed disasters - even while California and NJ face bankruptcy.

And a sitting President, who led the world to liberate some 50 Million is disdained as a failure, even belittled by his own Party's Nominee for the Presidency.

It is a crazy environment.

Even the fool named Krugman is given a NOBEL, further lowering the reputation of the sinking Liberal Establishment, following the folly of the Gore-Carter embarrassments.

All manipulated by the intense Partisan slant of those Democrats who control the MEDIA in a near monopoly.

Incredible upside down days.

[Tim Abbott]

Chris Buckley has moved back to the family place in Sharon, CT, the next town over from where I work. Here is the breakdown as of May of voter registration in his town.

1733 registered voters
677 Unaffiliated
619 Republican
426 Democrat
9 Green
2 Libertarian

And yet come national elections, the Town and surrounding communities routinely go heavily Democratic.

Sharon went for Ned Lamont in '06 by between 10-20%, one of only 27 out of CT's 169 municipalities that did not go for Lieberman.

It went for Chris Murphy (D-5) in the Congressional race by >20%.

It went for Kerry.

By that standard, Buckley is very much in keepting with his neighbors.

[Gayle Miller]

WFB knew who his son was which is why they were so frequently estranged. Nonetheless, whether or not Chris Buckley is willing to acknowledge it, everything he is has come from his genetic heritage and he ought to be both respectful and grateful for that! And quit spitting on the graves of BOTH his parents. Little twerp!

[Tim Abbott]

My father was at WFB's memorial service in St. Patrick's Cathedral, and said that Christopher's eulogy was heartfelt and engaging. My Dad gave full marks, however, to Henry Kissinger, which for a far left of center sort like Dad is truly astonishing. He said that Kissinger spoke about an abiding friendship, and support for each other and struggling with the big meaningful questions - God, Faith, Purpose. It humanized Kissinger in my father's eyes.

[Steve]

Great post and great site you have!

Would you like a Link Exchange with our new blog COMMON CENTS where we blog about the issues of the day?

http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com

[MartiniPundit]

Heh -

This was the one article my liberal friends e-mailed to me. Of course, I haven't paid attention to Christopher Buckley for some time, but I let them have their moment.

Your cats look splendid BTW.

Cheers,

Matt