Like many who did not share the full conservative package with Mr. Buckley , his curiosity, his humor and his oddball grab bag of mannerisms made him a familiar and welcome figure. The American Conservative movement will truly mourn his passing (even though they’ve tended to patronize him and keep him in his room these last few years, lest he say anything nasty about Bush, the invasion of Iraq or the current state of the Republican Party) becuasre without him their ranks do seem a bit exposed.

I wouldn’t exactly put David Brooks or Bill Kristol in the same league.

The Boston Globe has a good obituary which you can read here