Wall Street Journal Editorial: WILLIAM SAFIRE -- A competitor who had our back when we needed him.

In economic and foreign policy, as in fashion and music, the 1970s were largely a miserable decade. But out of that woeful time arose a generation of conservative giants in journalism and public life, among them the New York Times columnist William Safire, who died yesterday of pancreatic cancer at age 79.

From 1973 to 2005, Bill Safire prowled American politics in twice-weekly columns that kept the political class honest and his readers entertained and informed. Usually he was tough competition for those of us at the Journal, but we also recall that he was there as an intellectual ally most of the time, and especially on foreign policy where he was a stalwart Cold Warrior and a friend of what used to be known as the "captive nations."

Unlike many columnists, Safire did not soar at 35,000 feet bemoaning what fools these mortals be. He did his own reporting, digging up stories and anecdotes that embarrassed politicians who deserved to be embarrassed. He was a master of his craft, a student of the English language who loved the playful use of words.

He was also never one to court the good favor of liberals by ducking a brawl when his friends needed help, as when the Journal became a target of the left for challenging the ethics of President Bill and Hillary Clinton. Safire had our back when he famously referred to Mrs. Clinton as a "congenital liar." This was after he had voted for Mr. Clinton in 1992 out of disappointment with President George H.W. Bush. President George W. Bush nonetheless presented Safire with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006, a prize he well deserved.

The turning of the years can be cruel, and it is sad to lose men like Bill Safire, Robert Bartley, William F. Buckley Jr., Robert Novak, Irving Kristol, Milton Friedman, Jack Kemp and others who did so much to rescue America from the failures of the 1960s and malaise of the 1970s. Yet one reason we note their deaths is the great success they had in life. As Safire would have urged, our obligation is to stop grieving and return cheerfully to the barricades.