Text 1525, 110 rader
Skriven 2005-10-06 23:33:36 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0510064) for Thu, 2005 Oct 6
===================================================
===========================================================================
President Honors Buckley at 50th Anniversary of National Review
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 6, 2005

President Honors Buckley at 50th Anniversary of National Review
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
Room 450

President's Remarks
"); //--> view


11:40 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks. I'm here to escort William F. Buckley, Jr., to
lunch. (Laughter.) But first I've got some things I want to say. It's a
honor to celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Review, and soon to be
the 80th birthday of our honoree. You probably think this is a -- the Yale
Scholars Association meeting. (Laughter.) Actually, Bill Buckley did have
an influence on me when I followed him at Yale. You might remember one of
his famous quotes, "The job of conservatives was to stand athwart history,
yelling, stop." That's the approach I took to most of my classes.
(Laughter.)

I also do want to throw a little bouquet to him, and let him know that all
I've learned about the English language -- (laughter) -- at any rate, it's
good to welcome the Buckley family. Thank you all for coming. It's such an
honor to have you all here. You've got a great family, and you're a family
of public service and a family that has stood strong for what you believe,
without wavering. I appreciate Dr. Kissinger, and Dusty Rhodes and Ed
Capano, as well. It's good to see you all.

The interesting thing about Bill Buckley's career is he's a -- obviously,
not idle. He likes to do a lot of different things. He was an author, an
editor, a spy, a novelist, a sailor and a conductor. The most important
thing he did was to contribute to the realm of ideas for America. He was an
entrepreneur. He kind of gathered up some dreamers and decided to do
something. A lot of times dreamers don't do anything, they just sit there
and dream. He decided to do something, and he formed a magazine that helped
move conservatism from the margins of American society into the Oval
Office. That's a significant contribution.

The amazing thing is, is that sometimes it's hard to be a leader because
you hear all kinds of voices. He's certainly heard different voices when he
formed the National Review. He had an eclectic group of people. That's a
Yale word. (Laughter.) He had voices that included ex-communists who knew
better than most the threat posed to America by the Soviet Union. He had
voices such as free marketers who knew that markets could deliver better
results than bureaucracies. He had voices from the traditionalists who
understood that a government by -- of and by and for the people could not
stand unless it stood on moral ground. They all different -- represented a
different strand of conservative thought. Yet, when they came together
under the conductor's baton, they made beautiful music. Congratulations for
being a leader. (Applause.)

I'm sure it's hard for some of the youngsters -- unfortunately, that
doesn't include me anymore -- (laughter) -- to imagine the day when the
only conservative game in Washington, D.C. was Bill Buckley and the
National Review. And today, we've got, of course, an abundance of
conservative columnists and radio hosts and television shows and think
tanks and all kinds of organizations. I guess in an intellectual sense, you
could say these are all Bill's children. And like children, they grow up
and go their own way. But I'm confident that the faithful advocates of the
free enterprise system, like those at the National Review, regard the
competition they have created as a good thing. I certainly hope so.

It's hard to believe that in 1955, the Soviet Union was in full power, that
Ronald Reagan was a Democrat -- and the truth of the matter is, Bill, I was
more interested in Willie Mays than I was in you. (Laughter.) But a lot has
changed in a brief period of time, when you think about it. Many of the
more important changes of the 20th century happened because the National
Review stood strong, and that's a fact -- that's a fact of history.

I'm glad to know that the people of National Review aren't resting on their
laurels. A sign of a good leader is somebody who can lay the foundation so
that people are able to carry on. I think that's going to be a legacy of
Bill Buckley. He just didn't show up and create something that cratered, he
created something that stood the test of time and grew.

The people of the National Review are determined to leave their mark on
this new century, and we appreciate it. You got a lot of readers here in
the West Wing. My admonition is to keep thinking, to keep writing, and keep
working.

I found another Buckley quote interesting -- when he wrote, with
characteristic modesty, that did National Review not exist, no one would
have invented it. (Laughter.) I think it's more accurate to say that only
Bill Buckley could have invented National Review. And that's a tremendous
influence on American life that can be explained only by its unwavering
trust and appeal of human freedom -- this great understanding of the power
of freedom to change societies and to lift up people's lives.

It is an honor to be here to thank you for your service. I want to thank
you for leaving us a magazine and a group of thinkers that will help make
the advance of liberty over the last 50 years look like a dress rehearsal
for the next 50 years.

May God bless the Buckley family. Thank you for coming. (Applause.)

END 11:47 A.M. EDT

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/10/20051006-4.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)