William Safire, commentator and staunch Israel defender, dies aged 79
New York Times columnist and former Nixon speechwriter succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Sunday.
By The Associated Press Tags: Israel newsWilliam Safire, the conservative columnist and word warrior who feared no politician or corner of the English language, died Sunday at age 79.
The Pulitzer Prize winner died in Maryland, his assistant Rosemary Shields said. He had been diagnosed with cancer, but she declined to say when that had happened or what type of cancer he had.
Safire, a staunch defender of Israel, spent more than 30 years writing on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times. In his "On Language" column in The New York Times Magazine and more than a dozen books, Safire traced the origins of words and everyday phrases such as "straw-man," "under the bus" and "the proof is in the pudding."
New York Times Co. Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said in a statement: "For decades, Bill's columns on The Times's Op-Ed Page and in our Sunday Magazine delighted our readers with his insightful political commentary, his thoughtful analysis of our national discourse and, of course, his wonderful sermons on the use and abuse of language. Bill will be greatly missed."
Michael Oreskes, senior managing editor of The Associated Press, who served as a correspondent and Washington bureau chief of the Times during Safire's years as a columnist, said the conservative writer was a mentor and friend to a generation of Washington journalists of all political persuasions.
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NYT was balanced by Safire while the norm in NYT are hysterical articles opposed to Israel's existence.
I think you have William Safire,may he rest in peace,confused with robert novak who was called the "Prince of Darkness"...a most unappealing man both outward and inward. He hated Israel and was quite vocal about it.He passed away about a month ago.
blessing!!!
#9 --- you mixed Saffire with Novak !! His bio should include that he ia alumni of BRONX HIGH SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
You're so right. Israel is going to miss his propaganda on her behalf, but I doubt many Americans will...
Most people could fin some thing to praise and something to denounce in Safire's career and positions. That is both a suited elogy to him and the democratic freedom of the press. I thank him for much of what he did, and thank the NYTimes for publishing his work over the decades as a tribute to him and us all.
will live on and on! The damage caused and justified by men like him has made the world a lot more dangerous not less so. I can't wait till his "defenders" gush about him and probably call him a pragmatic man of peace, when all he did was blow a lot of smoke to "defend" Israel and support insane neo con policies.......
It is amazing how people get so persuaded by a sort of "analyses" which more than prove a point, do mostly hand waiving. The article you refer to is at the level of a BA student, trying to prove that Einstein or Freud's theory is based on a simple mistake. In January 2004, a message is intercepted between al-Zarqawi, the head terrorist in Iraq, to Bin laden, in which Zarqawi asks for assistance in starting a civil war in Iraq. That same Zarqawi established training camps in northern Iraq before the ousting of Sadam, and was later hospitalized for two months in a Baghdad hospital. Safire argues in his article that the found message is the smoking gun that proves the links between Al-qaida and Sadam, namely through Zarqawi. What is the rebuttal the Nation's David Corn find to this? That the NYT columnist who reported the interception argued that the message does not prove such a connection existed before(!) the war. Well David, what more do you need, testimony from Bin Laden himsef?
... "Quoth the Maven", "Language Maven Strikes Again", and "In Love with Norma Loquendi", and think about my own title above: "reading and re-reading time and again"... thinking of Bill!! What a wonderful writer! And what exraordinary answers he was getting from his American readers! I can't forget, in particular, Jacques Barzun... PS - That's not for BBSNews' "wingnuts"...
I would prefer that people like you stick to supporting Israel.
Namely a big liar.He and Judith Miller ,like today the army of journalists which were learnt "the profession" from Safire lie about Iran making it the "threat of the world" they (Safire and Miller) worked a lot to disinform and to help that Iraq will be invaded.How Ari Shavit wrote:"without 20 pundits who make the push the war would not be done.Safire is one of them.
The world is far less brighter today. Thank you for the very interesting, always intelligent column....You will be missed.
Safire was one of the biggest truth-twisters when it came to justifying the Iraq war. He heavily publicized the supposed link between Bin Laden and Saddam, a link that even Dick Cheney admitted was bogus. See http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames/1280