William Safire, the conservative American newspaper columnist, who died on Sunday aged 79, wrote robust and insightful political commentary for The New York Times for more than 30 years after an earlier career as a public relations man and speech writer for President Richard Nixon.
I certainly send my condolences to those who felt an affinity to this man but living, as I do, in the hinterlands far from the din of the inside-the-beltway noise machine, I find this to be a most UNremarkable news story.
Don't get me wrong: Safire certainly had a way with words and being a speechwriter -- even for the likes of Tricky Dick (did he coin that phrase, by the way?) -- is no small feat, but really now . . . .
I've been struck by the number of accolades heaped on the recent spate of dying neocons: starting, a year-and-a-half ago, with William F. Buckley and culminating, most recently, with William Safire (or, as a wit might observe: from one overhyped Bill to another) and don't recall anything like this degree of attention being devoted to liberals of similar-or-greater talent.
When the Bill O'Reilly's and Rush Limbaughs finally meet their demise, I hope I'm around to hear the public response.
I can only imagine the fawning, on the part of the press.
I can only imagine the nausea, on mine.
I should stop with these not-so-honorific musings about ol' Bill, however, lest I be labeled a nattering nabob of, well, you know.
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