Dispatches From The National Topsider

“Quit Redefining Conservatism,” says Christopher Buckley, after redefining it in the fall of 2008 to be a big enough tent to include presidential candidate Barack Obama. In his latest piece, the scion of the Buckley family writes:

I thought to ask Sam Tanenhaus what he made of the Mount Vernon Statement. Mr. Tanenhaus can be considered authoritative on the subject by virtue of his varied credentials: as noted biographer of Whittaker Chambers, editor of the New York Times Book Review and Week In Review, and biographer of William F. Buckley, Jr. His most recent book, The Death of Conservatism, is required reading for any serious student of the current conservative crackup.

But of course: