Peggy Noonan: A Time of Lore

Opinion Journal ^ | 07/26/2002 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

We live through an Agincourt a day, yet life goes on.

I am thinking about the moment in history in which we are immersed, and as usual my mind turns to the words of a great writer of the movies. In Robert Bolt's screenplay of "Doctor Zhivago," Lara and Zhivago, near the end of their drama, are huddled at his family's old estate in the Ural Mountains, waiting for the local Bolsheviks to descend. All seems lost, all exits blocked. The wolves of the forest howl with foreboding. Lara comes awake in the night and begins to weep. "This is a terrible time to be alive," she says. "Oh no, no," says Zhivago in all his innocence and belief. "It is a wonderful time to be alive." Life itself, whatever the circumstances, is good; it is a miracle no matter what.

[bescobar]

Aliens it's all about them damn aliens from Mars!!! There planning the attack by brain washing the Chinese and Middle Easterners to suck in with a tractor beam a large Asteroid that will kill us all!! Speaking of Asteroids my butt is killing me... Thank God these interesting times produce such wonderful ointments

[maica]

And there is the current president's predecessor, who seems more and more like Warren Harding, president as the Roaring '20s came to a screeching halt--handsome, gray-haired, wayward, blame-deflecting and, as Alice Roosevelt Longworth memorably said, "a slob."

This word picture actually gave me a heart-racing thrill. I will forever think *Warren Harding* when X42s image crosses my sight in the future.

Peggy is such a terrific writer!

This is another wonderful line - He was elected legally but with fewer votes than his opponent, a new-age whack job

Just great!!!

[Valin]

Great stuff! But then it's what we've come to expect from Peggy.

[tear_down_this_wall]

IMHO, one of her best in weeks.

Thanks, Pokey!

[IncPen]

The greatest historical event in my time was the fall of the Soviet Union. Growing up under the threat of nuclear annihilation pretty well guaranteed that. This is fun, but that was GREAT.

Great point.

I saw the author Tom Wolfe speak about 10 years ago, and he opined that the greatest event of the 20th century was the fall of the Berlin Wall, and of the Soviet Union, because it proved for all to see (except the liberals in this country) that the experiment of Marixsm, begun at the open of the century, was a complete and utter failure.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[TomSmedley]

An event even bigger than the fall of Soviet Union may be on the horizon. Events of today could be leading to it.

You refer, I trust, to the global humiliation and discrediting of Islam? Will you be ready to seize the opportunities that appear when this citadel falls?

[Reagan Man]

Definitely, one of Peggy's best recent efforts.

A very smart lady, a unique way with words and one of the good people I'm proud to call a friendly ally to conservatism.

[gcruse]

And there is the current president's predecessor, who seems more and more like Warren Harding, president as the
Roaring '20s came to a screeching halt--handsome, gray-haired, wayward, blame-deflecting and, as Alice Roosevelt
Longworth memorably said, "a slob."

Great writing, but horrible history.  Warren Harding died in office
during his first term.  He was elected in 1920.  The Roaring 20s
came to a halt nominally with the market crash of 1929. See
a problem with Harding being president as the Roaring 20s ended?

Additionally, Harding died before the Teapot Dome trials even
began.  For that matter, he died when only rumors of misbehaviour
by his administration were floating around.  It's hard to blame
deflect that early.  AAMOF, there was greating mourning at
his passing.  Harding may have been a slob, but he was
neither a traitor nor a rapist.

[NYer]

The great man of the age, a giant, the old pope, comes to our continent, to Canada, and arouses now a thing he never inspired, pity. Well, pity and awe. The Toronto Sun called the trip "a stubborn act of courage" and said his arrival was "magnificent."

Peggy Noonan ping to the Catholic List

[Notwithstanding]

Possibly the British, Russians and Germans will help out in some way...later claiming they contributed just as much to the effort...

[RonDog]

From http://www.fatherryan.org/academic/sscience/lovelld/twenties/:

Warren Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States. His term in office was from 1921-1923.

His administration had only one big achievement. That was the calling of the Washington Naval Conference. Harding wanted to bring the United States back to economic and political isolation tha thad characterized before it entered World War I in 1917. In an effort to do that he promised to appoint his cabinet made of the best minds. In 1923 there came rumors of government scandals. Harding died August of 1923 suddenly on a trip back from Alaska.

Harding's administration has been called one of the most corrupt in US history.

(Until now.)

[gcruse]

Harding was an amiable dunce. He did try to appoint the best to his cabinet. He also trusted his friends, too many of them who were crooked. He was not active in his administration's corruption, compared to Clinton who was the instigator and beneficiary of his. Where Harding was like Clinton was in his desire for extra marital sex and one particularly young admirer with whom he trysted in the White House, among other places. She ended up bearing his child. To this day, the Harding family suppresses hot love letters written to Harding from his paramours.

[Reagan Man]

>>>Great writing, but horrible history. Warren Harding died in office during his first term. He was elected in 1920. The Roaring 20s came to a halt nominally with the market crash of 1929. See a problem with Harding being president as the Roaring 20s ended?

You're absolutely correct. I noticed this oversight on Noonan's part. Hey, no one is perfect, but Peggy's writings usually come real close..

[maica]

Thanks for the clarification and information. Freepers are great for knowledge!

[gcruse]

:)

[Brices Crossroads]

Although I have read and enjoyed many of Peggy Noonan's pieces over the years, this was not one of them, for several reasons. First, she praises a lay group that seeks to "wrest some control of the church from the hands of the bishops". This is protestantism at its essence. Someone please tell me why any devout,lay Catholic in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska would want to wrest control of the Church from Bishop Bruskewicz. The same could be said of many dioceses. The problem lies not in the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church(which makes it unique) but in some of the bishops who have failed. But that is no reason to try to change the nature of the Church. Nor is it a reason to wish those who try to change the Church in this manner "Good luck."

I also take issue with her "interpretation" that the little girl who greeted the Holy Father was "understandably" frightened by his "rough outer shell." Peggy Noonan may have been repelled by the Pope's condition, but the wave after wave of applause and affection from the million young people told me that the youths at WYD were not only not put off by the Pope's condition but that they loved him even more than in previous years. Being repelled by the Holy Father's condition seems somewhat analogous to being repelled by the Crucifix. Peggy Noonan should have tuned in to EWTN and seen the WHOLE ceremony before drawing a conclusion based upon one snippet.

Finally, comparing the sex abuse scandal with the inquisition, which the unnamed priest does with Noonan's approval, is just an effort to slime the Church. The two episodes have nothing in common, factually, historically or theologically, except for the fact that they are routinely cited by those who wish to bash the Church with compact little "cuss words" like "Inquisition" and " priest sex abuse". Noonan has a right to say what she pleases, but her prose should not be exempt from a critical review.

[Phaedrus]

Once again, Peggy hits it out of the park. She is indeed our Chronicler of the Soul of America, and beautiful to boot. She captures the mood of our times so well -- there is a luminescence and uniqueness to the quality of events these days, a larger-than-life quality, that only she can express, it seems. I hope she lives forever.

[Phaedrus]

Great stuff! But then it's what we've come to expect from Peggy.

Yes.