Peggy Noonan: Human, But Not To A Fault

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 1/6/3 | Peggy Noonan

[My2Cents]

I think the reason the popular vote in the 2000 election was so close is that the public just didn't know George W. Bush. Half the country was giving him the benefit of the doubt, while the other half didn't want to take the risk. When his character shone through in the immediate days after 9/11, and people got to see the real Geo. W. Bush, the vast majority of Americans breathed a collective sigh of relief, and he's maintained their support (generally) ever since.

But I think the real benefit to Bush in terms of the nation and his continued popularity is the contrast he is to his predecessor. The nation is blessed that after eight years of the most dysfunctional and neurotic man to ever serve in the Presidency, we have one of the most normal, regular guys to serve in the office. People flock to Bush's normalcy. In an world that is uncertain, his normalcy brings a steadiness that gives people comfort.

[WaveThatFlag]

Common sense is reliable if one's instincts are good. This was true in Reagan's case. And I think it's true in Bush's case.

Both men also demonstrate the profound importance of surrounding yourself with the best people available.

[hillsborofox]

That "wobbled" remark at the top bothered me too.

Peggy then closes with this: "Why do people like Mr. Bush? ...Because he's not complicated and perhaps not even especially interesting as a person." What?! The man is very complicated albeit deceptively so and that alone makes him interesting.

I think I'll skip the middle.

[Happygal]

Because he's not complicated and perhaps not even especially interesting as a person.

I think this is a rather peculiar thing to say. How do you become the leader of the Free World without being some way interesting as a person? I normally like Peggy Noonan, I think this is a little off-base.

[Taliesan]

Also, liberals like to think that complicated is interesting because their own thoughts are a buzzing, swarming mess. If you could take a trip through a liberal mind you would see something resembling a constant MTV video; the conservative mind is a plodding documentary.

They have no organizing principle with which to structure their own thought-life, because they don't want one. They like it when the world and their own minds are moving like a music video. It's acid without the needle.

You can see what the liberal mind thinks is really neat-o by watching West Wing. Really fast, snappy patter. Verbal cleverness. Strings of facts and figures used like Monet's paint -- to suggest a conclusion without having to clinch a long rigorous argument. Lots of violin music moments (West Wing has lots of violin music moments without the music) and free-association masquerading as thinking.

Anybody who speaks in direct declarative sentences is "dim". Anybody who talks and thinks like Robin Williams is "intelligent".

[Endeavor]

Noonan does know that. She's not referring to Bush's trip to LA and NV on Sept 11th. She's referring to his quick address to the country at one of those stops (I think it was the Louisianna stopover) and his speech to the nation that night. Neither were stirring or brilliant. He wobbled a bit. There's no sin in that.

In Woodward's book, Bush even says he wobbled a bit on that speech the evening of Sept 11th although he puts it something like he wasn't able to convey just what he wanted to in the speech.

[RooRoobird14]

Peggy nails it again. Other factors at play here:

The Dimwit Party philosophy believes feeling, sharing, and CODDLING as the "solution" to social problems.

Republicans on the other hand are the party which believes in Toughlove instead of coddling for fixing problems. Why? Because we've never seen an example in which coddling actually improved a situation.iWe also expect a good leader to produce results--which is why most Republicans admire and respect President Bush.

DimWits without exception confuse "intelligence" with moodiness, manic/depressive and and self-destructive behaviors. They apparently think that the more screwed-up, conflicted and self-destructive someone like The Rapist is, the more intelligent he must be. After all, The Rapist has "so many dimensions" to his character, right? (MEGA-WRETCH-AND-BARF)The DimWits can't possibly fathom an intelligent person being uncomplicated, optimistic, and having positive close relationships with most people.

[cactusSharp]

scared in the parental sense that if kids knew what adults know and if kids could grasp that adults too were kids

that said,,,,Bush daughters, you won...chill out
stop, look and listen...and if it ain't too much to ask,
look grateful and humble.

[cactusSharp]

that point is exposed this way.....would any of you like
to spend a week at Crawford with Dubya , deep in the
woods riding shootgun in the F250 ?

[rogue yam]

I agree that this article is offbase. I was quite disappointed, in fact. (The article was advertised on OpinionJournal.com since Friday so I was looking forward to reading it today. I usually really like Peggy's stuff.) I think Ms. Noonan fails to take her own advice and makes things far more complicated than they really are.

I think people like Pres. Bush because they think he's a decent, talented, hardworking guy who is putting America first. He says what he means, means what he says, believes in the American system and the American people, and has let the world know that in these difficult and uncertain times you are either with us or you are with our enemies.

Verbatim, punctuate 'em.

Works for me.

[Wait4Truth]

I was glad to see that someone else thinks Peggy is off-base here. I am a Noonan fan but I don't think she quite "gets" President Bush - even though she thinks she does. On Sept. 11, I saw this President as "shaken" but hardly "wobbly". VP Cheney told him to stay away because they still didn't know qyite what was happening and there were still unidentified planes in the air. Later in the day, he told the VP and the Secret Service that he was going back to the White House. Period. He called Laura, told her he was coming home and that's what he did. He said the terrorists were not going to keep him away.

As far as not being "interesting", I think Peggy is totally off-base. He may not be interesting in a melodramatic way but I think most people that follow him find him very interesting and even complex at times. When one thinks of where he was on Jan 20, 2001 and how far he has come as of Jan 6, 2003, it is truly amazing. He is now viewed as a strong voice, a strong leader and someone that continues to out-fox the Dems. He is also trusted and admired by the majority of Americans. I think that's pretty "interesting".

As far as being afraid of his children, my only thought was what does that have to do with anything? This was not one of Peggy's best.

[Wait4Truth]

The majority of the public goes to sleep each night knowing that a tough man is doing all he can to protect them. They may whine about civil liberties during the day (which they haven't lost to begin with) but they sleep better knowing that a whining Dem is not in the White House. The RATS think that if there is another attack on America Bush will be hated by the American people. I think the opposite. I think they would understand how impossible it is to prevent every single thing that one or two terrorists can do...I think the public would turn on the RATS if they tried to villify the President. The RATS and the media are praying for another attack. Their political games will destroy them if they get one.

[Happygal]

Funny how Peggy Noonan collaborates on the West Wing, eh?

[Wphile]

I thought it was pretty lame on Peggy's part too. That's why I didn't ping anyone after I read it. Peggy's writing can be phenomenal at times but I have to say I am one of the few people who generally doesn't like her columns. I used to like her a lot but then I read her book - titled something like "Being there at the Revolution" - and hated it. In fact, I couldn't even finish it as it seemed so poorly written.

As for her columns, she can be totally brillant but of late, she tends to get too frilly and tries to force too much into her columns. In this case, I think the remark about being afraid of his children is totally uncalled for and has no business being in the column in the first place. I doubt that this is true and I really doubt that's why Americans like him.

I also think she is way off in her portrayal as Bush as "not a very interesting person." Hmmm...guess that's why he has so many friends, eh? Yep, that's it...everyone loves an uninteresting person. She missed the mark, by a mile.

[Wphile]

I think she is also an advisory for TIME mag and she thought the choice of the "whistleblowers" was great.

[Wait4Truth]

Thank you for your reply, Wp! We are on the same page. Peggy is a gifted writer but I think she assumes too much in many of her articles. She doesn't always do her homework, either. From what I have heard regarding the girls, the President refused at first to speak with his daughters after they both got caught drinking and Laura was the one to reach out to them. Their Dad was NOT happy with them and told them later that they must face the consequences if they were going to break the law. Sounds like just what I would have done as a Dad, even though I'm actually a Mom. I still don't see what any of this daughter stuff has to do with the public liking Bush, though.

They like him because he is strong, honest, diligent, trust-worthy and says what he means. Americans don't have to parse his words or wonder what he means. They don't have to wonder if he is sleeping around and they see the love between him and Laura. They see a man that is also human...he clears brush, he has a home that is not in D.C., he likes peanut butter and jelly, he jokes around when possible and he connects with people. At the same time, he has brought back the power of the Presidency, changed the debate around the world and tells terrorists and terrorist states that he is going to get them and they better know that he is not bluffing. He also shows that he cares about ALL Americans (even though some here hate that). He understands that he is the President of whites, blacks, Hispanics, gays, straights, rich, poor and everyone in-between. He hates class-warfare, pitting groups against each other as the Dems do. He also understands that the far-left and the far-right will find fault with him NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES.

He honors his office - he gives that office the dignity it deserves and he is grateful and humble to serve. When he is done, he and Laura will return to Texas to live out their years as normal people. You won't see him trying to hog the stage on his last day in office...he won't try to upstage the new president's day. He will leave the White House with honor and dignity. People know these things instinctively about George W. Bush. THAT is why people like him.

[Wait4Truth]

One more thing...most people recognize that he is a very religious man. They trust that. He believes he is a sinner like all the rest of us - a sinner that is doing his job in the best way he knows how. A sinner that starts each day with prayer and a Bible reading. He begins Cabinet meetings with prayer. The ACLU may disapprove, but the public doesn't.

[Wphile]

Absolutely. You should have written the article!

[RichInOC]

Actually, I think she has a point about Dub not being interesting. It's not always a good thing to be interesting. Bill Clinton was interesting. George Bush is not a boring guy, but he's nowhere near as interesting as Bubba was, certainly not in the way Bubba was, nor, I think, do you want him to be.

I definitely agree that you don't sense the mess like you did with the Clinton administration. That's partly because Dub doesn't have the kind of personal and professional mess in his life that Bubba did, and partly because neither he, nor his wife, nor his staff pumps up the drama like Bill, Hillary and their people did. You don't have these folks telling you every chance they get what great people they are and what rotten people their opponents are. After eight years of the Clintons, that's as much a relief as not having to listen to Bubba, Hill and their winged monkeys lie and spin every day.

[Wait4Truth]

Thanks for the nice compliment!