"I agree with you. Conservatives can be just as hypocritical and close-minded as liberals, and sometimes more. If Buckley wrote a column praising the President, he would be applauded, but because he disagrees, he is labeled as old and senial."
The problem is simpler: Buckley is wrong.
He first mistake was using the New York Times as his main source.
Iraq is not falling apart not even after this vile attack.
Some (only *some*) of al-Sadr's goons sparked reprisals, and there was a day of violence in revenge, but the vast majority of Iraqis want and are demanding calm.
See this much more pertinent, fact-based, and on-target report:
http://billroggio.com/archives/2006/02/an_ebb_in_fighting.php
I'm not saying that Buckley is right, just that he should be criticized based upon the facts and ideas he presented, not his age. Whether or not we agree with him on this issue, he has done alot to promote the conservative movement.