Bill Safire dead at 79.

[kpete]

Source: New York Times

Reported By NYT

Bill Safire dead at 79.

William Safire, Nixon Speechwriter and Times Columnist, Is Dead at 79

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN
Published: September 27, 2009

William Safire, a speechwriter for President Richard M. Nixon and a Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for The New York Times who also wrote novels, books on politics and a Malaprop’s treasury of articles on language, died at a hospice in Rockville, Md. on Sunday. He was 79.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/us/28safire.html?hp

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Hmmmm. nt

[annabanana]

2. I always enjoyed his "On Language" columns. . . RIP

As to his politics. . . They can be addressed another day.

[wtmusic]

15. I did too.

I'm not sure who would carry that torch after Safire. His love of language and his sheer writing skill was quite a combination.

[barbtries]

20. me too

to this day i will not say harASSment.

[omega minimo]

81. Aye.

[wuushew]

3. good

with Novak, Safire and Kristol in the ground, I can read various newspapers with less stress now.

[underpants]

5. Oh you nannering nabob of negativism you

actually they were the nannering nabobs because all they supposed was negative for most of the people

[lapfog_1]

25. "nattering nabobs of negativism..."

and possibly one of the worst "turn of a phrase" ever invented. Though it is remembered.

[johnfunk]

29. ... now a Nattering Nabob in the Netherworld

... though I too enjoyed his witty "On Language" columns.

Memo to Bill: say hi to Dick for all of us! :evilgrin:

[underpants]

35. oops

:spank:

[malletgirl02]

49. I have to agree with you

The phase "nattering nabobs of negativism..." is completely lame. I can't believe it is actually praised.

[lapfog_1]

51. Safire was good at alliteration.

note the entire line from the speech:

"In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4-H Club -- the "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

The "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history" didn't catch on as well as the "nattering nabobs"... likely because "hopeless, hysterical" don't really go together (he needed to come up with a different "h" word instead of hysterical, like hapless or something). Also, nabobs wasn't (and still isn't) used very much, so people thought it was "intellectual" to say it. Many people still don't know that a nabob was a "rich or important" person, and was actually a title given to a regional governor of India during the Mogul empire (and, as a side note, mogul has entered our lexicon as well, not as a family name of an empire, but to designate someone who is the head person of a corporation, especially of a movie studio).

[tabatha]

7. I read a column by Safire after the Iraq war started.

The headline (a lie) did not agree with what was said in the body of the article.
Thus, if one was too lazy to read the whole article, one would have come away with the impression that he was writing a column to support the lie. If one believed Safire, then the lie would have stuck.
It was about Iraq being in cahoots with Al Qaida.

I was disgusted.

[George II]

62. And the article was?????

[tabatha]

71. I read it in a newspaper, and don't have a link

But here is a review of it:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames/1280

On edit:

Actually, it looks as though he wrote 7 about that subject - I don't remember which one it was. All I remember is that the headline made a definitive claim, and the article was not definitive with lots of "woulds" and "maybes", etc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fiderer/how-douglas-feith-and-wil_b_95740.html

[Hawkowl]

14. What a day brightener!

You are right...er..correct! Now if only Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes dropped effin dead this year, we might truly have a merry christmas.

[davidwparker]

46. Kristol? Bill Kristol? I must have missed that one.

[butterfly77]

50. His dad..

[George II]

52. I see that you knew nothing about Willam Safire......

[Ter]

65. I wouldn't link Novak in that group

Wasn't he a paleo-con, rather than a neo-con?

[Taverner]

4. Refresh my memory - was he one of the last moderate Repubs?

[wuushew]

6. pro-Iraq war

Safire was one of several voices who called for war with Iraq, and predicted a "quick war," with Iraqis cheering their liberators

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Safire

[Taverner]

8. Ahhh gotchya

Another "useful" idiot

[martymar64]

33. He was never moderate

He was a pro-COINTELPRO, pro-CREEP, Nixonite stooge.
He hated anybody that wasn't as fascist as he was.

[jefferson_dem]

9. RIP Mr. Safire.

I enjoyed listening to you talk - “nattering nabobs of negativism” - even if I never agreed with the words you were saying.

[pattmarty]

27. The guy was a jerk, and the "phrase" was stupid at the time and more so today.

[jefferson_dem]

34. Oh. Ok.

Thanks for clarifying. :eyes:

[Jack Rabbit]

10. .

Pebbelz.com

[Beacool]

11. He was a conservative, but he was old school and wrote well.

My condolences to his family and loved ones.

:(

[IndianaGreen]

12. RIP Bill. He went to neocon Hell.

Safire agitated for the bombing of Iran. He was a despicable character in a parade of despicable characters.

[cali]

21. I find your post despicable on so many levels

[IndianaGreen]

22. I also rejoice at Nixon's death

and Hitler's suicide.

[WriteDown]

56. And many in Freeperville rejoiced at...

Kennedy's death. Doesn't make it right on either side.

[The Stranger]

69. Fuck Freeperville. Those people are living in another world.

[davidwparker]

47. I don't. I hold nothing against people who state their opinions after someone

dies. Death does not make someone a saint.

Remember the people as they chose to live their lives.

If someone chose to live their lives as a cheerleader for war, then remember them as a war monger.

[WriteDown]

57. Any war?

So FDR was a warmonger? :shrug:

[Zhade]

60. Right, because he lied about Hitler's desire to conquer the world.

What a bullshit analogy you just drew. Fail.

[WriteDown]

61. i do not believe that was what the poster I responded to said...

You may want to reresd their post though.

[The Stranger]

68. I find his post absolutely UN-despicable on even more levels.

The world is a better place without Bill Safire.

[Zorra]

74. Yeah, the head propagandist cheerleader for the wars in Vietnam and Iraq is gone.

Gee, what a shame.

[nolabear]

13. Didn't like his politics, loved his gift for language.

Safire is a great example of the age-old conflict that comes up when you can see much to both dislike and admire in the same person, a quality that we all have, really, but often hate to talk about when we reeeeeallllly like or dislike one particular thing about someone.

Sorry; didn't mean to soapbox (but not erasing it either--one of my less likeable qualities). RIP Mr. Safire. I loved your column and books on the language.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. His "On Language" columns were entertaining.

His politics left me cold but that doesn't stop me from valuing the linguist side of him.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. This is too much.

2009. What a year.

[jeffbr]

17. San Francisco 14, Minnesota 13

[pattmarty]

28. I love Mike Singletary!!!!

[rasputin1952]

19. I certainly didn't agree w/his political views...

but he was a master wordsmith, and he earns my respect for that.

RIP Mr. Safire.

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. Bad year for the right, isn't it?

[jgraz]

26. Not really

considering how many of them got a free pass on war crimes. Oh, and we gave them $700 billion of our money.

So, not too bad on the whole.

[Raine]

78. It's been a bad year for notables ... Teddy Kennedy

Patrick Swayze, Robert Novak etc etc ... the good and the bad just seems like death has taken so many in the last few months.

[jgraz]

24. Bill Safire intellectually dead at 39

[Odin2005]

30. A Wing-nut apologist and grammar Nazi. YAWN

[WriteDown]

58. Godwin's law?

Maybe.

[lapfog_1]

31. For those wondering about the "nattering nabobs"

Safire was a speech writer for both Nixon and his VP Spiro Agnew.

Here is the complete quote from a speech Agnew gave in 1970...

"In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4-H Club -- the "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

[Kolesar]

66. Thanks for posting the speech Safire wrote for Spiro Agnew

I was about 11 when that happened!

[dkxkvtr]

84. Agnew Speech

Do you have the full text of the speech?

Can you email it to me?
[e-mail]

thanks

[martymar64]

32. RIP to an evil, evil man

I hope his family finds peace.

[scarletwoman]

36. Sterling grammarian, execrable politics.

I appreciated his concern for the English language, would that he had evinced any such concern for the victims of our Imperial warmongering and the unconscionable policies of the Right.

sw

[MaineDem]

43. I totally agree! n/t

[defendandprotect]

37. Probably left a new article saying how innocent Nixon was . . .!!!

[WCGreen]

38. I certainly didn't agree with his politics but I recognized his talent...

I loved his On Words columns and read his op-ed when I was delivering the NYT back in the late 80's.

By the time I switched from the Plain Dealer to the NYT as my newspaper of choice, he was gone from the Op-Ed page.

I will miss his thoughtful opposition, his discussions on the the various PBS shows he paneled and his ability to remain civil in an increasingly belligerent profession.

[Kahoneez]

39. COINTEL-PRO SAFFIRE

COWARDLY HUFFINGTON POST CLOSED COMMENTS ABOUT SAFFIRE AT 10 COMMENTS , GUESS REALITY AND FACTS ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT SYCOPHANT GOT TO HOT .

Apparently being a "supporter of Israel " is the excepted norm for the beltway parrots and gatekeepers , on the other hand nobody at his level would openly support Palestinians or condemn Israel for their current war crimes against GAZA or violations of UN resolution 242 & 338 , occupying GAZA & WEST BANK and some how this blind support for Israel can be incorporated if his so called journalism , without question .


So what has this cointelpro agent ever contributed other THAN , supporting criminals like Richard Nixon , Spiro Agnew , supporting massacres in Iraq and Afghanistan , supporting occupations , supporting u.s. run prisons torturing Muslims, supporting occupation of GAZA and the humanitarian crisis caused by his kosher network of collaborators .


How many stories did he plant for the State Dept. , for the NEOCONS , for the CFR ........we'll never know .

[The_Commonist]

40. My condolences to his family.

[babylonsister]

41. That's a surprise to me. RIP. nt

[Kickin_Donkey]

42. Another Likudnik POS.

[lady lib]

44. RIP

fellow Bronx HS of Science alumnus.

Wait, or is it alumni? No, I think it is alumnus.

[tishaLA]

45. I liked On Language a lot

that is all.

[sparky7777]

48. Must Reading For William Safire Fans

Bill Safire wrote an interesting column two days after 911. It was titled "Inside the Bunker."

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/opinion/13SAFI.html


911 Was An Inside Job!!!!!!!!!

[Vidar]

53. RIP Mr. Safire.

[totodeinhere]

54. He was a neocon.

He was one of the main voices calling for war with Iraq. He enthusiastically advocated the Iraqi WMD lie. He also was a scaremonger on terrorism and he played into Republican efforts to use the terrorism issue for political advantage. On the other hand he was a strong advocate for civil rights and he maintained that true conservatism is totally compatible with civil rights for all. He also urged the Republican Party to become more inclusive and he favored immigration reform which would attract Hispanic support for the Republican Party. I think that overall he was a mixed bag, but I can never forgive him for pushing that illegal war in Iraq. It's interesting that he says he voted for Bill Clinton in 1992.

[UTUSN]

55. He was an A-hole-- new, old, Neo, vintage, whatever, just an A-hole n/t

[Zhade]

59. World just got a little better.

NT!

[Psephos]

63. Safire would've thought the world got a little better if you put your NT! in the subject line. ;)

As for me, I enjoy little quirks, and that goes for yours as well. :D

[Hassin Bin Sober]

70. Does anyone NOT open the entire thread to read anymore?

I think the NT has outlived it usefulness.

[Raine]

79. Many don't have time or if you use the moble version ... "NT" is

a big help. I for one appreciate it, I wish that more people would use it. Some people put NT inside the post :eyes: yeah that really helps after one has taken the time to open the post. :silly:

[earcandle]

64. Yo William.. Peace buddy, thanks for the word.s Time to rest it.

[JCMach1]

67. He spoke at my wife's graduation

That's about the all the good I can say about him...

In pace requiem...

[tonekat]

72. I admired his column on the origins of words, etc

Too bad he was on the wrong side, politically.

[chatnoir]

73. Creepy bit of alternate history

He penned this speech for Nixon in the event that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got stuck on the moon and were left to die there, "In Event of Moon Disaster":



http://gawker.com/5369364/william-safires-finest-speech

[Arugula Latte]

75. Ground Control To Major Tom ...

[Dr Fate]

76. Throw another log on the fire, boys. n/t

n/t

[underpants]

77. Is he still dead?

oh he is

good

[Rex]

80. Oh no! Another arrogant piece of shit Rwing paleocon dies!

Someone send flowers...

[No Elephants]

82. nt

[mitchum]

83. Period