A Sourpuss? Moi? [Peggy Noonan responds to her last column on the inaugural speech]

WSJ - Opinion Journal ^ | 1-26-05 | Peggy Noonan

[bellevuesbest]

I have been called old, jaded, a sourpuss. Far worse, I have been called French. A response is in order.

You know the dispute. Last week I slammed the president's inaugural address. I was not alone, but I came down hard, early and in one of the most highly read editorial pages in America. Bill Buckley and David Frum also had critical reactions. Bill Safire on the other hand called it one of the best second inaugurals ever, and commentators from right and left (Bill Kristol, E.J. Dionne) found much to praise and ponder. (To my mind the best response to the inaugural was the grave, passionate essay of Mark Helprin.) So herewith some questions and answers:

A week later, do I stand by my views?

Yes. If I wrote it today I wouldn't be softer, but harder.

[syriacus]

I love our president, but this freedom of speech thing is quite nice.

Yes it is. I'm so glad I have the freedom to point out that her garbage analogy is a poor analogy.

According to Peggy's line of reasoning
stepping over and around piles of garbage is an acceptable way of life.

[hershey]

A point of some relevance. Are we to abandon realpolitick and national self interest...even in the short term...for this high minded policy of helping others around the world to be free? Are we to do this while other nations, so called friends and allies, instead use our foreign policy goals to beat us economically? For they will. We have a moral responsibility, esp. as at the moment we're the world's super power. Interesting idea, scary as jumping off a cliff, too. I don't think we'll manage to remake the world, but it's worth a try, and that's what we've been doing in Iraq.

[RobFromGa]

I think that Peggy is jealous that she didn't get chosen to write the speech for Bush. She sounds pathetic in this column, worse than the last one. I have lost most of my respect for her. When she started work on the TV program "K Street" some of her words at that time sent off bells to me that she was changing a bit.

If she had her problems with this speech, she should have told Bush in private (she has the connections) rather than try to undermine him in such a public way.

She has to know that our enemies are looking for reasons to doubt that the President means what he says. She has given them comfort.

And, hopefully, the jailed dissidents that Bush was talking to do not get the WSJ. They need to believe.

[hershey]

As you say, it's the alternative to nuking Mecca.

[lowbridge]

And we must do nothing that provides our foes with ammunition with which they can accuse us of conceit, immaturity or impetuousness.

Gasp! Our enemies, the tyrants of the world...they might...might........call us names???? My God. In order to avoid that, we must do NOTHING.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

[maica]

it is my belief that she went over to the enemy when she was hanging around with Chris Matthews, Ronald Reagan, Jr., Howard Fineman, Larry O'Donnell and the rest of the liberal vermin boys on MSNBC.

%%%%

Agreed.

If she herself has reached the conclusions of these two columns she reveals herself as having very limited vision. I think a combination of wanting to be at A list parties and not getting a high profile position in the Bush White House are the factors that shape her words these days.

[Popman]

I have been called French

That had to really hurt!!!

Peggy is great, she just had a bad day. We all do once in a while.

[MEG33]

At one time Peggy was one of a few conservative columnists..I searched for her as a thirsty man searches for water.

I have many voices to read now..and do so..The hunger to find a Noonan column is lessened considerably after this.

[the invisib1e hand]

early and in one of the most highly read editorial pages in America

this is a side of Ms. Noonan (probably my favorite "older woman") that I have not encountered before....

[KateatRFM]

I am amazed that she figures keeping a lid on the "garbage can" (that is, countries filled with human beings) is worth trapping the people inside that might actually be the majority, and want to get out and be free! Is this a "White Man's Burden" thing, or what? We know more than you do about what's good for you, so just stay in that concentration camp and die, it's for the good of the Western world who want to keep on shopping?

A very odd comment to make on the anniversary of Auswicz, would you not think so?

[Paul_Denton]

I have been called old, jaded, a sourpuss. Far worse, I have been called French. A response is in order.

Thats because she *IS* an old, jaded, sourpuss french whore. What can you expect from an old, jaded, sourpuss french whore?

[rcofdayton]

I agree with her. The United States should not be the policeman of the world. We should be engaged but Bush's vision will lead to the loss of more privacy and civil liberties. I am glad we invaded Iraq. Let's finish the job there and Afghanistan; that's quite enough.

Bush's administration cut in half the number of F-22s that we are going to buy. That is a huge mistake of Clintonian proportions.

[Paul_Denton]

She should be thankful that Bush had reassured the America and the world that he is not in the business of occupying and global conquest, which has been the charge from the left. The world should be inspired by the fact that Bush wants to spread freedom into the darkest corners of the world.

I agree. She should also be thankful that she can talk like that without fear of anys ecret police.

[maica]

Some people have no capacity for self governance and must be led by authoritarian means or tyrants."

%%%%%

Isn't this the argument used in the South until the 1950s, about the need for 'paternalism' aka first class and second class citizens.

Or even the argument used before the Civil War "They are better off on the plantation."

Or the argument used by today's "liberals" - "certain groups of people have to have special help because they cannot achieve success without our help."

[Paul_Denton]

Take my word for it, she is lost. I read her second piece very slowly and carefully, and it is a blueprint for saying we should nothing but maintain the status quo, as the rest of the "do nothings" in the world proclaim. Ms. Noonan has lost her grip on the the greatness and destiny of the American Dream, freedom and equality for all the people in God's world. I feel very sorry for such a great lady!!!

Ah same here. But I wonder what caused her to go to the dark side?

[syriacus]

Peggy is great, she just had a bad day. We all do once in a while.

Peggy's words here are yet another "indicator" of the direction Peggy is going.

Could the explanation be that,
Peggy is thinking of running for public office in a liberal neighborhood?

[maica]

I love your speech. You live up to your tagline. LOL! I hope you send it in to the comments column of Opinion Journal. It really is worth their posting it.

[Fenris6]

I've already posted my defense of Noonan in the last explosive thread. Not going to waste my breath on the ignorant.

Powerline summed it up best: "If our tent isn't large enough to hold Noonan, then we're in trouble"

[syriacus]

But I wonder what caused her to go to the dark side?

Hillary is supposedly shifting toward the center to run for the presidency.
Maybe Peggy is shifting left to run for public office.

[.cnI redruM]

>>>Some people have no capacity for self governance and must be led by authoritarian means or tyrants.

I'm afraid I don't buy that point. I can't think of anything that got better or more peaceful because we let Saddam Hussein stay in power 10 extra years. There's a limit to how many wars a ten division army can effectively fight and win over a prolonged time-frame, I'll grant Peggy that one, but I think that's a commentary on the rather poor decision we made regarding the size of our armed forces, rather than a knock on Pres. Bush's desire to liberate countries enslaved by a dictator.