Peggy Noonan interview - Barack Obama, Tim Russert

Peggy Noonan, conservative Wall Street Journal columnist, discusses Barack Obama and Tim Russert
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After Tim's death, the entire television media for four days told you the keys to a life well lived, the things you actually need to live life well, and without which it won't be good. Among them: taking care of those you love and letting them know they're loved, which involves self-sacrifice; holding firm to God, to your religious faith, no matter how high you rise or low you fall. This involves guts, and self-discipline, and active attention to developing and refining a conscience to whose promptings you can respond. Honoring your calling or profession by trying to do within it honorable work, which takes hard effort, and a willingness to master the ethics of your field. And enjoying life. This can be hard in America, where sometimes people are rather grim in their determination to get and to have. "Enjoy life, it's ungrateful not to," said Ronald Reagan.

Tim had these virtues. They were great to see. By defining them and celebrating them the past few days, the media encouraged them. This was a public service, and also what you might call Tim's parting gift.

I'd add it's not only the young, but the older and the old, who were given a few things to think about. When Tim's friends started to come forward last Friday to speak on the air of his excellence, they were honestly grieving. They felt loss. So did people who'd never met him. Question: When you die, are people in your profession going to feel like this? Why not? What can you do better? When you leave, are your customers—in Tim's case it was five million every Sunday morning, in your case it may be the people who come into the shop, or into your office—going to react like this? Why not?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121390975307189781.html
"WASHINGTON (AP)—Obama clinches Democratic nomination, making him first black candidate to lead his party."

A great old-school bulletin, and of course it carried a huge and moving message. It is good when barriers fall; it's good when possibilities seem to open up to more people, especially the young, who are always watching. (That's what's wrong with them, they're always watching, and we're always doing terrible things, like, say, not congratulating the winner on the night he won.)

But what I thought of when the friend sent the flash was something another friend told me months ago. It was the night Mr. Obama won Alabama. My friend was watching on TV, in his suburban den. His 10-year-old daughter walked in, looked, saw "Obama Wins" and "Alabama." She said, "Daddy, we saw a documentary on Martin Luther King Day in school." She said, "That's where they used the hoses." Suddenly my friend saw it new. That's the place they used the water hoses on the civil rights marchers crossing the bridge. And now look. The black man thanking Alabama for his victory.

What kind of place makes a change like this? Only a great nation. We should love it tenderly every day of our lives.

We will hear a lot of tasteful tributes this weekend to Hillary Clinton's grit and fortitude. The Washington-based media may go a little over the top, but only out of relief. They know her well and recoil at what she stands for. They also know they don't like her, so to balance it out they'll gush.

But this I believe is the truth: America dodged a bullet. That was the other meaning of the culminating events of this week.

Mrs. Clinton would have been a disaster as president. Mr. Obama may prove a disaster, and John McCain may, but she would be. Mr. Obama may lie, and Mr. McCain may lie, but she would lie. And she would have brought the whole rattling caravan of Clintonism with her—the scandal-making that is compulsive, the drama that is unending, the sheer, daily madness that is her, and him.

We have been spared this. Those who did it deserve to be thanked. May I rise in a toast to the Democratic Party.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121269958227749853.html

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Peggy
• Noonan
• interview
• Barack
• Obama
• Tim
• Russert

[cosmlayla]

Love you Peggy.

[gollyjm]

Yeah they call him black in America (europe waste land) anyone with a brain can tell he isn't "Black" you are denying his other side he isnt just Black he isnt White hes mix race.

[dsgh55978]

The dems are the ones who can't get over skin color.All the racism and sexism was on the dem side.

[dsgh55978]

Yes that's interesting.Yet he and everyone else calls himself black.He's exactly 50% black.Does that mean he gets to choose his race?Looks like he has shunned his white side.

[satchelluc]

she is not an idiot; if you are going to insult her insult her pretentiousness, and her fat ego

[Gqgangsterz10]

This guy must be one of those polock want-to-to nazi's.

Keep telling yourself Hitler didn't kill thousands of your countrymen.

[Traveller1612]

Shame on you: JustMeAdrian1984.......

.... as your obviously a racist...

Wake up it's not the 1960's - Get over skin color - We're all exactly the same inside......

[gollyjm]

Hey dickhead obama is mix race he has white in him aswel you moron.

[JustMeAdrian1984]

Shame on you America......

now watch what happens.

Take a look on mexicans or all hispanics and blacks for next few weeks...

I guarantee you that they are going to be like - I feel free to get whatever I want now cuz the president is black.... and you guys are white!

[shlatz08]

Man he is sure missed this election season. I have often wondered during this political theatre season "What would Russert say?". Not the same without him.

[gareof]

obambi? here's some of obama's shit on Live Sunday-'lots of people hate the American flag. Our nat'l anthem conveys war - like bombs bursting in air etc. It should be swapped for something like 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I MIGHT salute. We should redesign our Flag to offer enemies hope & love. As pres.I will disarm the USA to be acceptable to islam. My wife hates our Flag..we've attended flag burnings together. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to USA