hell IS freezing over: Noonan criticized Bush's speech

[Fleshdancer]

Her nose is still firmly lodged up Laura's ass, but I can't believe she actually wrote something critical of boy wonder:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110006184

The inaugural address itself was startling. It left me with a bad feeling, and reluctant dislike. Rhetorically, it veered from high-class boilerplate to strong and simple sentences, but it was not pedestrian. George W. Bush's second inaugural will no doubt prove historic because it carried a punch, 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.

A short and self-conscious preamble led quickly to the meat of the speech: the president's evolving thoughts on freedom in the world. Those thoughts seemed marked by deep moral seriousness and no moral modesty.

[Wisc Badger]

1. As a recovering Republican

I maintain that anyone as intelligent as she seems to be (her writing is never inflammatory, at least the pieces I have read, though I admit to not reading her on a consistent basis.) can see reason and change.

[Fleshdancer]

3. very true...

I read her work every now and then, certainly not on a regular basis, but I know her more from her TV appearances. Just like you said, she isn't inflammatory, but I'm just so use being overly complimentary so it's refreshing to see reason and change in her. :)

[asjr]

4. I would bet Peggy left a small hole in the ice for her escape route.

[0007]

17. With her fish looking face Peg would be right at home!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

2. it "grated" on many!

if republicans don't send your jobs overseas,
they'll send your kids to kill and die for freedom.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

7. Peggy is still a shill - the repugs have weekly meetings and

draw straws on who has to play the part of obligatory reporter as an unbiased and fair scribe for the week. Noonan lost for yesterday's coronation. They throw just enough BS at the public to fool them into thinking, "Well, Noonan is a former speech writer for Bush 41, so if she criticizes she must be fair."

Her writing is sophomoric and jingoistic. Her speaking style is of someone who knows she is spewing nonsense but if she drags it out, rolls her eyes, inserts many pregnant pauses and reminds everyone she worked for Bush 41 than anything she says will be taken as "pearls of wisdom" when it is merely parroting the party line for a buck. She's a paid ho for the GOP. And not even a talented one.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. nominate this for front page!

[eg101]

6. they have achieved their goal, now they recover some credibility

She went to bat for Bushco in the election, piling up brownie points, and now she is trying to recover some credibility.

Fuck peggy nooner!

[Quakerfriend]

8. Between her comments and that reference to "a Banana

Republic" by George Wills kinda makes you think they might be preparing for the day * goes down!

[The Night Owl]

9. Noonan has sharply criticized Bush in the past...

Noonan was critical of Bush after his disasterous first debate and after his disasterous interview with Russert.

Noonan has her moments of clarity, but she always goes back to praising Bush.

____________________
Even George W. Bush knows that the Smear Boat Veterans are dirty liars...

"Senator Kerry is justifiably proud of his record in Vietnam and should be. It's noble service.” - George W. Bush

[Rose Siding]

10. It left her yearning for "nuance"

schitzo

[Sugarcoated]

11. She's one of those

conservative elite

[Quixote1818]

12. Didn't Noonan write speeches for Reagan?

If anyone would know a bad speech then she would.

[tngledwebb]

13. Its either the MO of MSM as per usual,

or not every sheep is really in the fold. This evil regime might take some of their long term shills for granted, and be surprised when they turn. Some of them have and more will, it is to be hoped.

But usu. its just the old M.O.- to prolefeed the idea of objectivity and balance to the sheeple.

[moggie12]

14. This is important since she is a Reagan person

Bush thinks he's the new Reagan, fighting Muslim terrorists this time rather than the Soviet Union. This was part of Bush PR spin yesterday.

For Noonan -- who worked for Reagan and wrote glowing books about him -- to call Bush's policies into question is significant. She's saying, "whoa, boy, get a grip -- you ain't no Reagan". She's right: I'm no Reagan fan, but he wouldn't have been stupid enough to do what Bush is doing now.

This is a good sign, I think: Even the RW is now publicly saying Bush has touch with reality.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

15. Wow !

"the president's evolving thoughts on freedom in the world"
Chimp and evolving thoughts somehow don't go together.

[Rose Siding]

16. Shorter Peggy Noonan

from TBogg...

Shorter Peggy Noonan-

And I remember thinking: This speech would have been better if I had written it.

http://tbogg.blogspot.com/2005/01/shorter-peggy-noonan-and-i-remember.html

[ewagner]

20. My guess????

Peggy wrote a speech which was either rejected or heavily edited by the Bush cabal.....she's a woman scorned...or maybe more precisely, a writer scorned....that's why the criticism. She'll be compensated in some way or another and jump right back on the bushie bandwagon......

[moggie12]

21. That's an interesting question

Has she done any work for Bush since he's been in? I'm trying to remember if I've seen her on TV or in print talking about Bush: Everytime I can remember lately, she's been hawking her book on Reagan. I guess I should be more cynical, but I'm still hoping this is true break among the nut/non-nut wings of the GOP. I' gonna do some Googling on her and see what I can find out (haven't really been keeping up much with what the Repubs say and think since so much is drivel).

[moggie12]

18. Kicking this -- Yo, DUers, did you see this??

Okay, maybe I'm wrong, but this seems like an important break in the GOP levee.

[fooj]

19. Holy Shit! DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

Now this is TELLING! Peace!

[Old Mouse]

22. Read it closer, it's not all that critical.

When you pull a sentence out or two it may seem to be, but in fact she only says he invoked 'god' a little too much and that it might not be realistically possible to reach his goals, goals which she agrees with.

[mod mom]

23. "goodness of their hearts"? Perhaps Ms Noonan has colonized Mars nt

[IndyPriest]

24. "It seemed a document produced by a White House on a mission."

Gee, Peg, ya think? I tell ya, what we need more of in this country are people capable of grasping the obvious.

[kskiska]

25. In James Wolcott's book, "Attack Poodles and other media mutants"

he devotes a chapter to Peggy. He's right on the mark and it's devastating. I'd quote it, but I just brought it back to the library. He also has chapters on Robert Novak, Dennis Miller, Ann Coulter, and all the other pundits we love to hate. It's an extremely well-written book.

[ArtVandaley]

26. Content aside . . .

She is a very good writer. I thought the speech she wrote for Reagan after the Challenger blew up was very moving.

As for the rest of her writings, I stress content aside.

[CoffeeCat]

27. I'm not surprised...

...I listened to Bush's speech and it was so frickin over the top.

I mean really. The man actually said that he plans to "bring the fire of democracy to every corner of the earth."

The man has lost his marbles AND the board game.

In the first place, Iraq was Bush's first foray into "democratizing" by fire. Everyone sees--literally--the charred remains.

Secondly, who will be footing the bill for Bush's big campfire of freedom when we can't even pay for amour on today's Humvees and our deficit sits at an unprecedented high?

Also--our military is stretched to the gills. Who's gonnna fight these "freedom" missions...The Care Bears?

When you drill down--the platitudes in the speech are unattainable.

Most importantly though, the speech was downright terrifying, to the point of absurdity. The president of the United States, in the middle of a failed "freedom" mission, announces he's going to freedomize the entire universe.

I am sure we will see an onslaught of negative media stories on Bush's speech. It was total crazymaking.

The sad truth though...Bush will backtrack and alter his rhetoric--but the PNACer plan he intended all along will still play out--this time with softer rhetoric and covert actions.