So? Why is the Journal letting Noonan use her column to take personal swipes at somebody she doesn't like? Is it that she doesn't like the fact that some other ex-speechwriters are getting some attention? She's the one who set the precedent of the speechwriter going public and seeking acclaim for the "boss's" words. She can't credibly complain when other speechwriters try the same trick.
Why is Jim Robinson letting you use Free Republic to slander President Bush and the war effort?
Oh please. She's using her column to describe her perception of her little part of the Reagan White House, including the office politics and personalities involved. She settled an old score or two, but not in a very meanspirited way. She did what people do. She's human.
She might have been better off leaving the score settling for another column, because this column was absolutely for the ages prior that point, but, for reasons best known to her, she decided to include it. She has an absolute first amendment right to include whatever she wants in her work. If her bosses don't like it they can yank it, but, as we can see, this stuff must've passed muster because it's in.