I'm in the midst of an argument with one of my conservative friends
who contends that NY Times pundit Bill Safire is not a conservative,
but a libertarian. Which is he? I've already done considerable online
research and I get many more hits on "conservative and safire" than on
"libertarian and safire," while some sites describe him as a
"conservative libertarian." If he is indeed the latter, which of his
views run counter to those of pure conservatives or neo-cons? How does
Bill Kristol, the epitome of neo-conservatism, view Safire's political
posture?

Thank you for accepting my comments as an answer! I am reposting my
remarks below, with a bit more material.

This source says Safire describes himself as a "conservative
libertarian":
 
"In the late '60s and early '70s, Safire was a speech writer for
President Richard Nixon. In 1973, the editor of The New York Times was
looking for a new, conservative point of view for his op/ed page.
Later that year, Safire started working there. He considers himself a
"conservative libertarian."
 
Bronx High School of Science
http://www.bxscience.edu/alum/safire.shtml 

Safire is very difficult to categorize: for instance, despite his
right-leaning views, he once endorsed Bill Clinton for President.
Perhaps Safire's political stance is best summed up as "contrarian":
 
Google Web Search: "william safire" + "contrarian"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22william+safire%22+contrarian

Here are two references which say Safire has described himself as a
contrarian:

"I am not a Safire fan by a long shot, but I have forced myself over
the years to read his columns because he will, occasionally, break
ranks and go by his own criteria for what constitutes 'conservatism',
rather than rehash the 'talking points' recycled ad nauseum by the
usual smug and arrogant Gang Of Idiots (apologies to MAD Magazine)
like Will, Kelly, and other whoremongers. Safire will point out, in
his own words, he is a contrarian; I have noticed over the years he
consistently takes positions strongly in defense of civil liberties
and privacy rights - including attacks on corporate, not just
government, abuses of those rights."

"Today we have a case in point. William Safire once again extols the
fact that he makes arguments because he is a 'contrarian.' This time
he rehashes his hysterical accusation that President Bush seized
'dictatorial powers' by authorizing the use of military tribunals —
but neglects to mention that U.S. presidents have held these powers
for over two centuries."

National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg010702.shtml

And here's an article in which Safire calls himself the "house
contrarian":

"The negotiators of the process that led to the terrorist war against
Israel have independently reached consensus on how to protect their
posteriors: because everybody was responsible for last year's failure
at Camp David, nobody can be held accountable.

'Many Now Agree,' read the front-page New York Times subhead, "That
All the Parties, Not Just Arafat, Were to Blame." As house contrarian,
count me among the many who do not agree that the blame for the
current hostilities can be so soothingly divvied up."

Israel Unity Coalition
http://www.israelunitycoalition.com/html/archive/aug01/010801_variousarticles.htm

I've saved the best quote for last:

"COLUMNIST'S CREDO 

As a libertarian conservative Republican contrarian iconoclast, I'll
take the best I can get from Bush policies and holler for more.

- New York Times pundit and wordsmith William Safire, describing his
place on the political spectrum."

The Hill
http://www.hillnews.com/010902/open_secrets.aspx

Search keywords used:

"william safire"
"bill safire"
"conservative"
"libertarian"
"contrarian"

So there we have it: "Libertarian conservative Republican contrarian
iconoclast." That's Bill. And that's me, too. ;-)

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 26 May 2003 09:54 PDT

I accidentally omitted a link for the source of the quote beginning "I
am not a Safire fan by a long shot." This quote is an excerpt from a
message board post by a person with the unlikely name of ZombyWoof:

Democratic Underground Forums
http://www.democraticunderground.com/forum_archive_html/DCForumID12/1469.html

~Pink

Terrific answer!

I found one source that says Safire describes himself as a
"conservative libertarian":

In the late '60s and early '70s, Safire was a speech writer for
President Richard Nixon. In 1973, the editor of The New York Times was
looking for a new, conservative point of view for his op/ed page.
Later that year, Safire started working there. He considers himself a
"conservative libertarian."

http://www.bxscience.edu/alum/safire.shtml

Safire is very difficult to categorize: for instance, despite his
right-leaning views, he once endorsed Bill Clinton for President.
Perhaps Safire's political stance is best summed up as "contrarian":

://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22william+safire%22+contrarian

I like that term "contrarian." I think I am one. ;-)

I agree, and "contrarian" is indeed the most apt descriptor. Post your
comments as an official answer!

Many thanks for the five-star rating and the generous tip!

~pinkfreud