Peggy Noonan is a mordant idiot, a bitter, OLD, totally irrelevant, POS hack.
LOL
There's a section in "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" that I am reminded of when someone lays it out hard and direct (and right) like you just did.
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Sundance to Etta: What I'm saying is, if you want to go, I won't stop you. But the minute you start to whine or make a nuisance, I don't care where we are, I'm dumping you flat.
Butch: Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid. Tell her straight.