I remember and honor William F. Buckley for a different reason than most conservatives. William F. Buckley, who was a very observant Catholic opened up the conservative movement to Jews, by kicking out the haters.

The December 1991 issue of National Review was almost entirely devoted to an essay by Buckley called “In Search of Antisemitism” which he turned into a book a year later. But his efforts started well before that.

From its initial issue in 1955, the National Review became the bible of conservative thought, but it was also void of the Jew-hatred that was a big part of the conservative movement. Conservative favorites such as aviator Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford were staunchly anti-Semitic, as were the post-war conservative anti-communist groups such as the John Birch Society and The Liberty Lobby. Buckley didn’t let those groups anywhere near his magazine, and publicly denounced the John Birch Society and its leader Robert W. Welch, Jr.

In his 1991 essay, William F. Buckley gave former National Review contributor and presidential candidate Pat Buchanan the label he deserved, anti-Semite.