My Friend, Bill Buckley

The David Frum Show

The Atlantic

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the unceremonious end of the Department of Government Efficiency. He examines the legacy DOGE leaves behind, why it failed, and how it became yet another example of the Trump administration’s drive to make America’s government weaker and smaller. David is then joined by the historian and biographer Sam Tanenhaus to discuss his sweeping new biography of William F. Buckley Jr., “Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America.” Frum and Tanenhaus reflect on the Buckley they both knew, exploring his strengths, his flaws, and his influence on the American conservative movement from the 1960s onward. Finally, David closes with a discussion of Booth Tarkington’s novel “Alice Adams” and the lessons we can still take from a once-celebrated, now often-derided work of American literature. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:58.4	Hello, and welcome to the David From Show.
1:01.4	I'm David Frum, a staff writer at the Atlantic.
1:09.3	My guest this week will be Sam Tannenhouse, author of the important biography of William F. Buckley, the founder of modern conservatism.
1:12.7	This week, the last week of November 2025, marks the 100th birthday of William F. Buckley, the founder of modern conservatism. This week, the last week of November, 2025,
1:17.9	marks the 100th birthday of William Buckley, and Sam and I on this occasion will be discussing Sam's book, William Buckley's life, and his impact on the two of us because we both knew him
1:22.8	and admired him very much. My novel this week, my book this week, will be the novel Alice Adams by Booth
1:29.0	Tarkington, published also almost exactly 100 years ago before the dialogue or the book. I want to
1:35.8	open with a few preliminary thoughts about the expiry of the so-called Department of Government
1:40.7	Deficiency, or Doge. Doge was never really a department of government.
1:45.7	It had a kind of extra legal existence.
	...

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