Then why did she say it? It wasn't a matter of conscience concerning an important issue. She wasn't disagreeing with Bush over, say, his immigration policy. That's what really bothers me, and what greatly lessens Noonan in my eyes.
Her column was ungracious and petty, she knew it would be used against Bush and conservatives, and--most important--it was at odds with what she's said in the past. Peggy Noonan of all people saying a speech is "God-drenched"! It would be funny, except that she handed the Left a few rounds of ammunition. Leftists and the media these days focus enough on what they consider the takeover of the Republican Party by overly religious nutjobs.
Honestly, where does any Christian get off saying there's "too much God" in anything? It's absurd. Then there's the whole matter of her thinking the speech was too ambitious -- a call to create heaven on earth. That's also at odds with what she's said in the past.
The more I think about it, the less inclined I am to give Noonan the benefit of the doubt. There's too much about this that smacks of self-promotion.
Peggy Noonan is a former Dim/liberal. Some time ago she wrote an interesting (but tediously long) piece on how that transformation occurred. She seems to want to be acceptable to both sides and remain a viable punditress. Who knows, maybe she has applied for Dan Rather's job and had to prove publicly that she can be 'unbiased' LOL.