This year William F. Buckley passed away. In the 1950s he founded the National Review, a magazine which basically created the modern conservative movement. Due to this movement, Barry Goldwater’s 1964 candidacy redefined conservatism, and Ronald Reagan swept to the Presidency in a landslide in 1980.
Today, though Buckley is likely rolling over in his grave, as his son Christopher has announced he is voting for Obama. Christopher, who writes the back-page column for the National Review, says his main problem with McCain is not that he isn’t fundamentally a conservative; it’s that the trait that has distinguished him, his authenticity, has been completely lost in the campaign. Obama, on the other hand, has exhibited a “first-class temprament,” and Christopher believes he has the foresight to consider solutions other than traditional left-wing solutions once he becomes President.
And, like every other reasonable person, he asks “What was he thinking?” in reference to McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as vice-president.