Peggy Noonan: The Paragraph- Help the White House make the case for re-election

Opinion Journal ^ | 02/12/04 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

When you are a conservative and tend to support conservatives, it will come as a surprise, and an unwelcome one, when you ding one, as I dinged President Bush the other day about his "Meet the Press" performance. Of those who responded, about 60% disagreed with me, and the rest were more or less in agreement. Many of those who disagreed with me said they thought the president had done well with Tim Russert, that the interview made clear his decency and sincerity. Others said I was kicking the president when he's down and that's the problem with conservative pundits, they can't be trusted. My answer is the obvious one: It is the job of a writer to write the truth as he sees it, and if it's an uncomfortable truth, then so be it.

[.30Carbine]

I expected no more and no less from you.

A veggieburger is a veggieburger.

[gobucks]

I expected no more and no less from you. A veggieburger is a veggieburger.

Ah, not having high expectations of me are you now? I hope you don't fall into that trap with your own children. My experience has taught me kids tend to rise to the expectations of their parents.

My mother doesn't have high expectations of me either. The names she tosses my way are worse than veggieburger. But, I'm to honor her despite her false prophecies toward me. Perhaps you'll see in this last reply, perhaps, a similar honor I accord you.

You said earlier that

Lies do not build others up and it is a Christian imperative to reveal lies by truth.

The first, and greatest, Christian imperative is to Love God. Neither of us have modeled that poorly-obeyed imperative very well so far, though both of us have tried.

You sound bitter .30carbine - I wonder how often you laugh. I'm betting there is a reason behind your tone that has nothing to do with my freeper shortcomings. But, I won't pry. Evidently, you don't care anyway.

After reading over ABC and D, I considered responding to all your points - but it's likely unnecessary. One thing popped out kind of big - Lex Rex. I'd never heard of it.

Googled on it for a bit, and then googled a bit on constitutionalism (for I didn't know my answer to the question you posed to me and then answered for yourself ... you like hearing your own answers, and own thoughts in general I've noticed).

That led me to John Locke, whom I also have never studied. That led to the English Civil war, and the Glorious Revolution, which I wasn't taught either, and haven't spent much time learning about until today.

Then, onward to Latitudinarianism, the precursor to the Invisible College and the first modern think tank, the Royal Society, and finally freemasonry.

Which led me to the OPC's policies regarding membership in the Lodge .... and lo and behold, our disagreements are starting to make a LOT of sense. And no, I'm not a mason.

But given what was going on in catholic europe in the 1100 thru 1400's, and later, I could have seen myself becoming one, yes indeedy. I am a protestant - that is, the pope is not da man. But more so, I am a mere, newbie relatively, Christian who recognizes how much bona fide antipathy a man in Christ arouses.

Thank God I am blessed by being born an American. I do have an answer to your question btw ... the U. S. Constitution is an attitude.

That attitude is this: protecting religious liberty protects our Christian liberty, period.

The U. S. Constitution is an artifact of that attitude, not its progenitor. At root, it seems, you and I are disgreeing about how someone comes to see themselves as 'free'.

So, I now think we're down to brass tacks. Your antipathic reaction toward my thoughts is likely identical to your feelings about freemasons.

Let me know if I'm off base as you so care to ... but, if you're tempted to prophecy me down (it's similar to cursing someone even if they are already down) with your low expectations again, please restrain yourself - it sets a bad example.

But otherwise, my thanks to you for your enthusiasm. Thanks to you for that, for I have learned a goodly and godly bit, always the usual benefit of this freeper obsession.

Oh, the reason I pinged you originally ... it was accidental really. But, I don't regret the grace involved.