At the time Buckley split with them Birchers were calling Eisenhower a communist dupe IIRC.
Brent Bozell does seem to be last remnant of the family with any sense. Wm Buckely himself possessed some glaring faults, tossing his friends under the bus when it was socially convenient being maybe the worst.
I Like Ike...
that being said he was not the most conservative president.
I liked Bill Buckley but like you said he was not perfect. but who really ticks me off is Bill’s son Chris...who went over to the Dark Side(no racial slur intended). Though Chris’ book and subsequent movie, Thank You For Smoking...was hilarious.