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Peggy Noonan: Way Too Much God (Freepers let's tell her our thoughts)
WSJ ^ | 1/21/05 | Peggy Noonan

Posted on 01/21/2005 4:19:45 AM PST by Mikmur

PEGGY NOONAN

Way Too Much God Was the president's speech a case of "mission inebriation"?

The inaugural address itself was startling. It left me with a bad feeling, and reluctant dislike. Rhetorically, it veered from high-class boilerplate to strong and simple sentences, but it was not pedestrian. George W. Bush's second inaugural will no doubt prove historic because it carried a punch, asserting an agenda so sweeping that an observer quipped that by the end he would not have been surprised if the president had announced we were going to colonize Mars. A short and self-conscious preamble led quickly to the meat of the speech: the president's evolving thoughts on freedom in the world. Those thoughts seemed marked by deep moral seriousness and no moral modesty.

The president's speech seemed rather heavenish. It was a God-drenched speech. This president, who has been accused of giving too much attention to religious imagery and religious thought, has not let the criticism enter him. God was invoked relentlessly. "The Author of Liberty." "God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind . . . the longing of the soul."

And yet such promising moments were followed by this, the ending of the speech. "Renewed in our strength--tested, but not weary--we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom." This is--how else to put it?--over the top. It is the kind of sentence that makes you wonder if this White House did not, in the preparation period, have a case of what I have called in the past "mission inebriation." A sense that there are few legitimate boundaries to the desires born in the goodness of their good hearts.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: bush; bushdoctrineunfold; god; gwbanointed; inauguraladdress; inauguration; noonan; peggydowd; president; shesrightguys; w2
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To: Earthdweller
They don't need no planes to get into Europe..they just walk right in. In droves.

Precisely!

And we pretty much lived in the same never neverland prior to 911. Quite honestly I'm not sure its all that different now.

But what has that to do with the war in Iraq, or spreading freedom and democracy to every pissant corner of the earth?

Seems to me they might have a better handle on spreading culture than we do ... no?

341 posted on 01/21/2005 9:55:47 AM PST by iconoclast (Conservative, not partisan.)
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To: Mikmur
Be careful or we will devolve into a long-overdue discussion of FR's religious-nut-case minority.

Frankly, I would just rather discuss and disparage the Islamic variety.

But if you insist...


BUMP

342 posted on 01/21/2005 9:59:48 AM PST by tm22721 (In fac they)
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To: syriacus
You know, as a student of American history, that heterogeneity does not, of itself, lead to Balkanization.

Unfortunately, Iraq was Balkanized on the day it was invented by the Brits (you remember them, the last significantly hubristic nation).

343 posted on 01/21/2005 10:00:26 AM PST by iconoclast (Conservative, not partisan.)
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To: Earthdweller
While they act like they care and protest war for "humanitarian" reasons, they really just want to keep the status quo and make them their new "slave" working class to bring in tax dollars for their near failed economies.

The real reason that europe can not bring themselves to help in freeing the oppressed of the middle east is because they cannot stand to see us succeed where they have failed.

344 posted on 01/21/2005 10:02:45 AM PST by DonnerT (Any job worth doing should be done to completion.)
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To: syriacus
Maybe you can help...Are the Iraqis too alike in their thinking, or too different in their thinking?

Here's the limit on my "help" in this debacle.

If we had been serious in efforts to establish anything but a puppet state, we would have chosen to help establish a Republic (Not so different from our own blueprint).

345 posted on 01/21/2005 10:05:08 AM PST by iconoclast (Conservative, not partisan.)
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To: buzznut
Strenghtening the DHS and improving border and harbor security IS doing something for the United States, and is much more sensible than playing the World's baby sitter and spanking every tinhorn despot who displeases us.

You couldn't be much more wrong. We cannot protect every high school football game, every family picnic, every mall and restaurant. Talk about "big government"! Fear and Isolation is what will give us things much worse than the reasonable "Patriot Act". Think Israel - Think Security Guards - Think Bus Bombings. You can attribute that largely to the Israeili unwillingness to take out the "A... Your Towel Smells Terrific" Arafat, the terrorists and taking on a purely defensive posture.

346 posted on 01/21/2005 10:09:11 AM PST by grassboots.org (Too much Koran, but not too much God...)
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To: syriacus
Seriously, what have you learned from Juan Williams?

I rarely get an "idea" from any commentator, of any stripe.

I do fairly often agree with Juan's comments.

347 posted on 01/21/2005 10:11:23 AM PST by iconoclast (Conservative, not partisan.)
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To: Mikmur

PEGGY NOONAN

"Way Too Much God Was the president's speech a case of "mission inebriation"? "

Peggy, Peggy, Peggy...
You can never have too much God
You can never have too much ammunition
You can never have too many Viking Kitty pics


348 posted on 01/21/2005 10:15:40 AM PST by Liberty Valance (Grateful Heart Tour 2005)
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To: syriacus
Still can't figure out why you insist on making so many blanket assumptions about everyone..

Their posts usually speak fairly clearly unless they're ambiguously sarcastic or ironic.

349 posted on 01/21/2005 10:16:51 AM PST by iconoclast (Conservative, not partisan.)
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To: Just mythoughts
most fightening man in America is no longer running Justice You mean Janet Reno?
350 posted on 01/21/2005 10:17:33 AM PST by grassboots.org (Too much Koran, but not too much God...)
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To: Mikmur

I guess she didn't like it. Oh well.


351 posted on 01/21/2005 10:29:41 AM PST by Protagoras (No one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave. GWB 1-20-05)
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To: Mikmur

How can you have "too much God?"

see tagline.


352 posted on 01/21/2005 10:40:02 AM PST by Terriergal (What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
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To: grassboots.org

ROFL!!!


353 posted on 01/21/2005 10:43:14 AM PST by Terriergal (What is the meaning of life?? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever.)
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To: iconoclast
I do fairly often agree with Juan's comments.

I know what you mean. I feel the same way about Brit Hume and Michael Barone.

They are each great at providing details to back what they say.

354 posted on 01/21/2005 11:21:21 AM PST by syriacus (Title as Queen of the BOXER SNORTS goes to Sen. Babs for her performance on 1/19/2005)
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To: Just mythoughts

One of my favorite singers, a black Christian man, Wentley Phipps sang one of the songs. He is outstanding. He narrates beautifully. You should hear his narration about Amazing Grace. Outstanding. It's on one of the Gaither Homecoming videos. I always cry when I hear it.


355 posted on 01/21/2005 11:25:24 AM PST by Marysecretary (Thank you, Lord, for FOUR MORE YEARS!!!)
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To: cajungirl

My thoughts, when I heard that part of it, was that we would withhold funds from them if they didn't treat their people right (and quit persecuting Christians!).


356 posted on 01/21/2005 11:28:00 AM PST by Marysecretary (Thank you, Lord, for FOUR MORE YEARS!!!)
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To: Mikmur

This is just sickening coming from Peggy Noonan. I hope that Sean tears her comments apart today on his show.He seems to be in Peggy's camp alot.


357 posted on 01/21/2005 11:29:52 AM PST by pollywog (Psalm 121;1 I Lift my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.)
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To: Mikmur

This is just sickening coming from Peggy Noonan. I hope that Sean tears her comments apart today on his show.He seems to be in Peggy's camp alot.


358 posted on 01/21/2005 11:34:06 AM PST by pollywog (Psalm 121;1 I Lift my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.)
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To: quidnunc
many of us believe that Dubya will prove to be as good a president a Reagan

While I agree with this sentiment, all the same, it wasn't a great speech.

359 posted on 01/21/2005 11:35:10 AM PST by AndyJackson
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To: iconoclast
you remember them, the last significantly hubristic nation

Ah, but we have God on our side. That is a first. It really is, isn't it?

360 posted on 01/21/2005 11:36:31 AM PST by AndyJackson
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