Peggy Noonan responds to open-mic story

[Mark E. Smith]

Source: MSNBC First Read

In the Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan writes of the open-mic story that's spreading like wildfire
through the blogosphere. "When the segment was over and MSNBC was in commercial,
Todd, Murphy and I continued our conversation, talking about the Palin choice overall.
We were speaking informally, with some passion -- and into live mics. An audio tape of that
conversation was sent, how or by whom I don't know, onto the internet. And within three hours I
was receiving it from friends far and wide, asking me why I thought the McCain campaign is
'over,' as it says in the transcript of the conversation. Here I must plead some confusion. In our
off-air conversation, I got the subject of the leaders of the Republican party assuming, now, that
whatever the base of the Republican party thinks is what America thinks."

"I made the case that this is no longer true, that party leaders seem to me stuck in the assumptions
of 1988 and 1994, the assumptions that reigned when they were young and coming up. 'The first
lesson they learned is the one they remember,' I said to Todd -- and I'm pretty certain that is a
direct quote. But, I argued, that's over, those assumptions are yesterday, the party can no longer
assume that its base is utterly in line with the thinking of the American people. And when I said,
'It's over!' -- and I said it more than once -- that is what I was referring to. I am pretty certain that
is exactly what Todd and Murphy understood I was referring to. In the truncated version of the
conversation, on the Web, it appears I am saying the McCain campaign is over. I did not say it and
do not think it. In fact, at an on-the-record press symposium on the campaign on Monday, when
all of those on the panel were pressed to predict who would win, I said that I didn't know, but that
we just might find 'This is a country for old men.' That is, McCain may well win. I do not think the
campaign is over. I do not think this is settled, and did not suggest, back to the Todd-Murphy
conversation, that 'It's over.'"

Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/03/1338996.aspx

---

Laughable. I mean, doesn't she know that people can access this on the internet and immediately
see how bullsh*t (to use Peggy's verbiage) her explanation here is? Poor Peggy got caught in a
rare moment of truth, and now she's falling all over herself to cover it up, and in the most
ludicrous fashion.

The transcript of the original conversation, plus the video, can be found at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/peggy-noonan-mike-murphy_n_123647.html

Peggy Noonan: Tap-dancing like the proverbial dancing chicken at a county fair.

[Robb]

1. Right.

Pack your bags Peggy. Time to write another book now.

[roguevalley]

32. god, what a wind bag she is.

[ck4829]

2. Who, exactly, is Peggy trying to convince here?

[54anickel]

7. The hand that feeds? They could always paint her with another "narrative" of

their own. Not a lot of jobs for a washed-up, has-been, partisan, "narrative" writer. Personally, I think she really is bitter because they are reaching into the old St Ronnie playbook that she helped write and she's not getting credit for it.
Just a hunch.....

[CherokeeDem]

3. Don't You Just Love....

watching a word meister trying to spin her own words and not succeed?

[Dr.Phool]

4. She must have gotten a phone call from a very angry old man.

[Jim__]

5. She actually wrote this in the Wall Street Journal.

Can someone explain the meaning of this sentence to me: In our
off-air conversation, I got the subject of the leaders of the Republican party assuming, now, that
whatever the base of the Republican party thinks is what America thinks?

Couldn't an editor clarify that?

[adamuu]

8. my head hurts n/t

[snooper2]

15. Funny shit...

:rofl:

[ProfessorGAC]

17. I Thought The Same Thing, Jim

I was thinking "Well, i can see how someone might talk that way, but once it's written down, it seems awfully confused.

Perhaps a desperate attempt at damage control?
The Professor

[wizstars]

25. What DO these right-wingers smoke???

It does some silly things to their minds, whatever it is....

(I'd try it sometime, but I'm very afraid it would turn me into one of them. I'd rather die than look so stupid.)

[Bennyboy]

6. It's the damn tubes I tell ya, the tubes........

:Uses Homer Simpson voice: "Stupid Internet......"

[AlbertCat]

9. Nutty Noonan

Never forget, the Pegster thought God sent dolphins to help save Elian Gonzalez and she chided Clinton for not recognizing that fact.

Who cares what that fruit loop says?

[jhain]

10. I love the smell of lies in the morning

Repubs are curling into fetal positions throughout the country.

[jberryhill]

11. Stick a Fork In Her - She's Done

About the only thing she could try to redeem herself would be to shoot an entire herd of moose, but it is doubtful to work.

[Heather MC]

12. To Quote Peggy, this explanation is "Political Bullshit"

[democracy1st]

13. she was ranting about Obama's speech last week,justice is sweet

she's a dayum liar and fool

[Kind of Blue]

22. I wonder how she'll spin that part

that she didn't speak to? She should just own it and let it be an opportunity for more honesty instead of trying to lead the country into further divisiveness. I'll stop dreaming now.

[Wabbajack_]

14. Freeps hate you now Peg

[vanderBeth]

16. Sorry, Peggy

You can't un-ring a bell.

[Magleetis]

18. Watch her squirm

She was caught without her talking points. This is something you don't hear very often, repugs saying how they really feel.

[lame54]

19. She's spinning like a drunk ballerina stuck on a tilt-a-whirl

[fishwax]

20. haha

Good one, Ms. Noonan :rofl:

[nc4bo]

21. OMG, she is so full of shit. nt

[DrZeeLit]

23. Ridin' the horse backwards, sweepin' up the tracks. Darlin' you are drownin' -- Give it up!

Sheesh.

When will somebody just tell the truth?

I think everybody is waiting for a person with the guts to say, "The Empress isn't wearing any clothes!"
And own it.

Peggy -- own it! You hate this and you know it! Off the record, you TOLD THE TRUTH.
Why backtrack now? What have they got on you? Really? What are they holding over your head that you are smiling while the shit piles up on the doorstep?

Oh, and that .. you are SO full of shit.

Redeem yourself.
This certainly is NOT the way to do it.

I am so ashamed of you.
And all the others who have a brain and are not even remotely inclined to use it right now.
Do you all want to win that bad that you will sell your very souls?
I'm talking to Peggy Noonan, George Will, Pat Buchanan, Brooks, and countless others who are so transparent about "loving Palin" that it is downright painful and humiliating to see.
No, I take no joy in this.
It's shameful.

And they will have to eat these words some day. And I will take no glee.
Sorry day for these people. Yes, they have been the loyal opposition and I do NOT ever agree with them but they at least seemed to attempt, over the years and through various terrible administrations, to provide somewhat erudite responses.

I'll end with this... What would our dear departed Conservative stalwart, William F. Buckley (sp?) have said and done?
Yep... What would Buckley do?

[Subdivisions]

24. This is also revealing is that it illustrate just how

chummy ALL of the people we see on corporate news are. I mean, Noonan calls Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison "Kay". That's a very familial way to address an United States senator. Just confirms for me the fact that the MSM and TPTB are in collusion to dumb down and mislead the American people.

[KharmaTrain]

26. She Shoots...

No Net, No Rim...AIRBALL... :rofl:

The Nooner ran home, downed three Manhattans and it still didn't help.

:rofl:

[beac]

27. Time for you to go to Plan B, Peggy:

Dig up the Reagan's coffin, climb in there with him and slam down the lid! As far as the freeps are concerned... you're OVER!

And, yes, your explanation is 'bullshit.'

[Duer 157099]

28. When I heard just that little clip, even out of context

I interpreted it pretty much the same way she is explaining here. In no way did I think she was saying the campaign, or McCain, or whatever, was "over" -- just that the days of falling back on a "narrative" were over, or so she thought.

That's how I took it.

[TahitiNut]

29. When Nooner fails ... it's an epic fail even an idiot can see.

[cboy4]

30. Oh boy.

[Bake]

31. Did anybody understand that shit?

She made more sense on the open mic ... that was pretty clear. Something about "excuse me, bullshit."

:rofl:

Bake

[Stinky The Clown]

33. Here ya go, Peggy ......

.... bootstrap yerself into yer next gig. Watch this guy work. Learn a trade.