UPDATE - 2:45 P.M. - Mr. Bush, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on an unrelated matter, said he had called Mr. Buckley's son, Christopher, this afternoon to express his condolences.

Mr. Buckley, the president said, "influenced a lot of people, including me."

"He was a great author, a great wit and a leader," Mr. Bush said.

The president said he could "remember those debates they had on TV, and he was so articulate and he captured the imagination of a lot of folks because ... he had a great way of defining the issues."

"It was erudite and yet a lot of folks from different walks of life could understand it. And he's a big figure in our history, and he'll be missed," Mr. Bush said.

Here is a clip of Mr. Buckley debating Noam Chomsky in 1969 (HT: Stacey McCain).

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President Bush issued this statement around 1:30 p.m. today.

"America has lost one of its finest writers and thinkers. Bill Buckley was one of the great founders of the modern conservative movement. He brought conservative thought into the political mainstream, and helped lay the intellectual foundation for America's victory in the Cold War and for the conservative movement that continues to this day.

"He will be remembered for his principled thought and beautiful writing — as well as his personal warmth, wit, and generous spirit. His legacy lives on in the ideas he championed and in the magazine he founded — National Review.

"Laura and I send our prayers to Chris Buckley, the Buckley family, and all who loved this good man."

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Mr. Buckley was "a longtime friend of the Bush family" and that she informed the president of Mr. Buckley's death at 11:45 a.m. in the Oval Office.

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times