"Eric Alterman wrote in June in an online book club discussion that Buckley has a talent uncommon among those with deep political convictions -- that he is unlikely to "ruin a dinner party" with indelicate partisan banter. That's probably because he has had much practice at the art of dinner partying. Pat Buckley is an accomplished hostess and socialite. In Switzerland, the Buckleys entertain between four and eight friends no fewer than three times a week. The affairs exemplify their commitment to good manners and etiquette, offset by an unwillingness to let convention get in the way of a good time. The appetizer might be foie gras, but the hors d'oeuvre is almost always bread bits covered in peanut butter. ("If peanut butter were as expensive as caviar," Bill has said more than once, "it would be served at Buckingham Palace teas.")  When guests overstay their welcome, Bill plays "Goodnight Ladies" on the piano."