Washington
A MILESTONE, OF SORTS, was reached this past week in the annals of political journalism. William F. Buckley Jr., 79, announced that he is relinquishing ownership of National Review, the magazine he founded in 1955, to a hand-picked board of trustees.

In fact, Mr. Buckley’s “retirement” has something of the quality of Frank Sinatra’s farewell tours. It is a work in progress. He stepped down as editor of National Review several years ago, and gave up his PBS talk show, Firing Line, after three decades. He has withdrawn from the lecture circuit, and in a recent piece in The Atlantic Monthly, announced the termination of his sailing career (the subject of many books) as well as the end of piano and harpsichord playing.