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Peggy Noonan: Way Too Much God
Wall Street Journal ^ | January 21, 2005 | Peggy Noonan

Posted on 01/20/2005 9:33:31 PM PST by RWR8189

Was the president's speech a case of "mission inebriation"?

It was an interesting Inauguration Day. Washington had warmed up, the swift storm of the previous day had passed, the sky was overcast but the air wasn't painful in a wind-chill way, and the capital was full of men in cowboy hats and women in long furs. In fact, the night of the inaugural balls became known this year as The Night of the Long Furs.

Laura Bush's beauty has grown more obvious; she was chic in shades of white, and smiled warmly. The Bush daughters looked exactly as they are, beautiful and young. A well-behaved city was on its best behavior, everyone from cops to doormen to journalists eager to help visitors in any way.

For me there was some unexpected merriness. In my hotel the night before the inauguration, all the guests were evacuated at 1:45 in the morning. There were fire alarms and flashing lights on each floor, and a public address system instructed us to take the stairs, not the elevators. Hundreds of people wound up outside in the slush, eventually gathering inside the lobby, waiting to find out what next.

The staff--kindly, clucking--tried to figure out if the fire existed and, if so, where it was. Hundreds of inaugural revelers wound up observing each other. Over there on the couch was Warren Buffet in bright blue pajamas and a white hotel robe. James Baker was in trench coat and throat scarf. I remembered my keys and eyeglasses but walked out without my shoes. After a while the "all clear" came,

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


TOPICS: Editorial; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: analyticalgenius; boldpeggy; gentlecritic; inauguraladdress; meeeeeooooow; noonan; pegomyheart; prescientpeg; sensiblechic; theantirove; traitor; w2; way2muchnoonan; whattawoman
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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator

To: RWR8189

I think Ellen Goodman logged in on Peggy's computer.


22 posted on 01/20/2005 9:46:03 PM PST by Right Brother
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To: RWR8189

Not enough GOD!!

Why does nearly every talking head suddenly have an aversion to GOD? Oh yes!! Getting ready to get rid of the US Constitution and replace it with the European Version, which is always better than anything US!!

I mean look at the COFFEE commercials, buy this EUROPEAN COFFEE MAKER, or this EUROPEAN COFFEE!!

What I would like to know is what the H### do a bunch of TEA DRINKING EUROPEANS KNOW ABOUT COFFEE???

About as much as they Know about writing a Constitution, NOTHING!!!

My family left the LOWER END OF THE GENE POOL for a good reason, and that was to get away from the oppression of these European Powers!! What IDIOT has decide to go back into this CESSPOOL of STUPIDITY?? and OPPRESSION!!


23 posted on 01/20/2005 9:46:25 PM PST by 26lemoncharlie (Sit nomen Dómini benedíctum,Ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum! per ómnia saecula saeculórum)
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To: jwfiv
Sounds like she might be a bit jealous that she didn't get to pen those words

My assessment exactly. It was better than anything she ever wrote. Professional jealousy, and it shows.

24 posted on 01/20/2005 9:46:41 PM PST by konaice
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To: RWR8189
What is up with this? Is she somehow hurt because she wasn't chosen to write the speech? I'm real disappointed in Ms. Noonan after reading this. Something doesn't sound right here.
25 posted on 01/20/2005 9:48:39 PM PST by jennyjenny
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To: Howlin

Different strokes for different folks. What type of music you have preferred? Classical, baroque guitar, progressive jazz, heavy metal, or rap?


26 posted on 01/20/2005 9:48:40 PM PST by Irish Queen
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To: piasa
Doesn't this surprise you?

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.

Does she not grasp the concept that unless we try to spread democracy, however a country might define it, throughout the world, we'll never truly be secure as a country?

And, IMO, if we can even START that process, it most certainly will be the greatest achievement of our history.

27 posted on 01/20/2005 9:48:47 PM PST by Howlin (It's a great day to be an American -- and a Bush Republican!!!!)
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To: RWR8189

I sense that Peggy is about to go south on W. Totally uncalled for article and not even close to the truth.


28 posted on 01/20/2005 9:49:19 PM PST by John Lenin
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To: Howlin

Different strokes for different folks. What type of music would you have preferred? Classical, baroque guitar, progressive jazz, heavy metal, or rap?


29 posted on 01/20/2005 9:49:21 PM PST by Irish Queen
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To: Irish Queen

I would have preferred AMERICAN anthems or hymns; not songs written by political hacks.


30 posted on 01/20/2005 9:49:41 PM PST by Howlin (It's a great day to be an American -- and a Bush Republican!!!!)
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To: John Lenin

Guess who else was panning the speech: David Frum.

Now, class, what do those two have in common?


31 posted on 01/20/2005 9:50:16 PM PST by Howlin (It's a great day to be an American -- and a Bush Republican!!!!)
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To: RWR8189
I love Peggy, but this piece reminds me that she didn't write Reagan's "tear down this wall" speech, and I think she found that one a bit "grating" as well.
32 posted on 01/20/2005 9:51:31 PM PST by denydenydeny
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To: RWR8189

I liked the speech, and I'm an agnostic. It wasn't meant to deal with specifics; he'll save that for the State of the Union. It was an articulation of his vision of freedom. It might have been utopian, but it was meant to be.


33 posted on 01/20/2005 9:51:31 PM PST by Phocion
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To: Howlin

How about "This Land Is Your Land", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", and "God Bless America".


34 posted on 01/20/2005 9:52:29 PM PST by Irish Queen
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To: RWR8189

I thought the same thing. She sounded like she liked the speech.. now its too much god?


35 posted on 01/20/2005 9:53:05 PM PST by Next_Time_NJ (NJ demorat exterminator)
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To: Mr. Mojo

"......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.

The Planet of War needs our compassionate touch, no doubt about it."


Actually I think he did say something like that about a year ago.


36 posted on 01/20/2005 9:53:37 PM PST by shibumi (Sum Ergo Flatulo)
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To: Irish Queen

Instead of playing a silly game, why don't you just come out and say what it is you're trying to say.


37 posted on 01/20/2005 9:53:58 PM PST by Howlin (It's a great day to be an American -- and a Bush Republican!!!!)
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To: Howlin
One wonders if they shouldn't ease up, calm down, breathe deep, get more securely grounded. The most moving speeches summon us to the cause of what is actually possible. Perfection in the life of man on earth is not.

Peggy fails to realize what has already been set in motion.
38 posted on 01/20/2005 9:54:18 PM PST by John Lenin
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To: John Lenin
This is what it sounds like to me:

The most moving speeches summon us to the cause of what is actually possible and, of course, are written by me.

39 posted on 01/20/2005 9:55:55 PM PST by Howlin (It's a great day to be an American -- and a Bush Republican!!!!)
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To: RWR8189

Ms. Noonan is lavishly praised in TV intros when she appears. She was a speech writer for Reagan, I believe. However, at and after Reagan's funeral, I read some comments about her from the fellow speech writers of her time in the WH. None of them sat with her at the funeral and really did not seem to care for her. The impression I got was that she was egotistic and pushy and not well liked.

When I have seen her on TV, and some columns I have tried to read of hers, she always seems to be "styling", dreamy, kind of melancholly, too sweety, sweety. This sounds like she is miffed about something. Maybe she has not been called on as much as she would like to have been, or not deferred to enough by the media. In this column, she has definitely made a bid to be called by judy W. Katy C. and the usual suspects to bash Bush. Look for her on the Katy and Judy shows tomorrow or the next day.She speaks of nuance, but she is a little too nuanced for me.

I thought the President's speech was great. If he had been able to present it with the impact of a Ronald Reagan with the cameeras rolling, it would have been truly the greatest, ever.

vaudine


40 posted on 01/20/2005 9:57:13 PM PST by vaudine
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