Bill Buckley

Hot on the heels of his Reversal on Rush, RNC Chairman Michael Steele this week delivered his U-turn on Choice -- first saying women "absolutely" have the right to choose abortion then, after having his knuckles rapped, asserting his pro-life bona fides: "always have been, always will be." At a time when there is a serious discussion around the world about the future of capitalism, including a must-read series in the Financial Times, the GOP is so devoid of actual ideas that spineless lightweights like Steele -- and cartoon characters like Rush Limbaugh, Joe the Plumber, and Sarah Palin -- are able to step in and fill the intellectual void. Bill Buckley must be spinning in his grave.

NEW YORK — William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he obse...