By the time of his death Goldwater had become a wholly irrelevant, confused and bitter old codger, whose opinions were about as substantial and intellligent as the bilabial fricative wheezings emanating from a whoopee cushion.
Which, of course, is why many libertarians revere him.
I met him three or four years before his death. He spoke on current affairs for half an hour, without notes, and then answered unscripted questions from the audience. His opinions were crisp, consistent, and wholly relevant. He showed no trace of bitterness or confusion.
In his retirement, some religious fanatics became upset with him because he scorned the reptilian Rolex-flashing TV preachers who were giving conservative politics a bad name. Unfortunately, these holy-rolling wackos have burrowed deeply into the party apparatus. It's a sad commentary on today's Republicans that so many of them prefer a heap of filth like Pat Robertson or Jimmy Swaggart to a great leader and patriot like Barry Goldwater.
Goldwater was one of the four or five greatest men in the history of the Grand Old Party. He had more character in his little finger than all the TV preacher weasels put together. God bless him and keep him.
-ccm