Christopher Buckley breaks the chains of familial bondage

WASHINGTON -- When erudite pundit and author William F. Buckley died earlier this year, most observers painted a picture of gentleman scholar, who gave conservatism a voice when it reached a state of intellectual stasis in the 1950s. His only child, Christopher Buckley is currently in the news for his recent endorsement of Senator Obama for president. His act is a final symbol of independence for a man who was always overshadowed by a dominant father, notwithstanding his own success on the bestseller lists.

Beyond the symbolic act of breaking with his family's political tradition, Mr. Buckley's recent comments in the New York Times suggest a far more nuanced portrait of his father.

As a father myself, I look at every small achievement of my son with awe and hope. Not so was the relationship between Mr. Buckley and his father.

As to his own father, it was “a complicated relationship,” he said. Early on, the elder Mr. Buckley was enthusiastic about his son’s writing. But as the son racked up one best seller after another, the father grew deeply critical. Mr. Buckley can quote word for word: “Sorry, this one didn’t work for me,” or, “As regards your new book, my views are negative.” When his father inscribed books to him, he signed them, “Bill.”

That a father would allow his own ego and petty competitive spirit undercut his son's confidence and innate desire to please is incomprehensible. In his mid-50s, Mr. Buckley is finally shaking off the bonds of that perverse conditioning. He is free at last. That is something that should make his parent's proud.