NEW YORK - William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House, died Wednesday. He was 82.
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I never paid much attention to him, even though I understand perfectly what words like "erudite" mean. But I have to wonder if he had slid into a certain amount of irrelevance as the more shrill and emotional self-styled conservatives consumed the airwaves and printed pages.