'A Clarion Voice For Freedom'

A great woman, a true warrior for liberty and one of my personal heroes is gone.

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, a political science professor whose support for
Ronald Reagan conservatism catapulted her into the post of U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, has died at 80. She was the first woman to hold the post.

Initially a liberal Democrat, Kirkpatrick championed human rights, opposed Soviet Union communism and supported Israel.

"She defended the cause of freedom at a pivotal time in world history," President Bush said Friday. "Jeane's powerful intellect helped America win the Cold War."

I was fortunate to attend a dinner one evening years ago, met her and listened to her speak. She was the height of brillance and class. Her most memorable line, which still rings true today, came several years earlier.

In a speech to the Republican National Convention that nominated Reagan for a second term in 1984, Kirkpatrick castigated the Democrats as not blaming guerrillas and their Soviet allies "when Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America."

"They always blame America first," she said.

Indeed they do, but not because people like Mrs. Kirkpatrick didn't try.

You will live in our memories. RIP.