The monster in Peggy Noonan's childhood closet was... Abraham Lincoln!

Writing about childhood fears (post-Newtown), she reveals : One night when the moon was bright and the wind was moving the trees, I looked f...

"Mr. Obama's was a White House that had—and showed—no respect for Republicans trying to negotiate with Republicans."

"Through it all he was confident—'Eric, don't call my bluff'—because he believed, as did his staff, that his talents would...

"If it had been a Republican vice presidential candidate who had made those gaffes, one after another, so comically..."

"... and all on tape, the subject today of the panel would be how stupid is this person, can this person possibly govern?" — Pegg...

"Some of the sadness and frustration following Aurora has to do with the fact..."

"... that no one thinks anyone can, or will, do anything to make our culture better. The film industry isn't going to change, the g...

Condoleeza Rice is "either very worried about a socialist threat to America, or she wants to be Vice President."

Said a "Romney surrogate" about the 13-minutes speech Condi gave at a recent "closed-door fundraising retreat" for Romne...

"Why do the president's appointees think the picture of him with a kill list in his hand makes him look good?"

Asks Peggy Noonan. He sits and personally decides who to kill? Americans don't think of their presidents like that. And they don't w...

What's with calling politicians — Romney... Obama... — "creepy"?

Scanning the news via iPhone while still lying in bed this morning — that's my habit, absurdly — I noticed someone was asserting that Ro...

California bumper sticker: "California: It's All True."

A proposed bumper sticker, deemed brilliant by Peggy Noonan, who adapts it for her column "Gingrich Is Inspiring — and Disturbing"...

Cain "was showing us a candidate for the presidency of the United States desperately trying to retrieve a soundbite..."

"... and not even trying to hide the fact that he was trying to retrieve a soundbite. Because we're kind of all in on the game, and...

Peggy Noonan found Rick Perry's "brain freeze" "endearing."

I see the point : Rick Perry's candidacy wasn't going anywhere before the famous 53-second brain freeze. Now it's official. To m...

"The President's Island Retreat: Is his visit to Martha's Vineyard a sign that he's giving up?"

Peggy Noonan asks: The market is dispirited. I'm wondering if the president is, too, and if that won't carry implications for the 20...

"Politics in a democracy are always 'vulgar' — since democracy is rule by the 'vulgus,' the common people, the crowd."

Writes William Kristol , rankling at Peggy Noonan's "In the end the Palin candidacy is a symptom and expression of a new vulgariza...

"It was a strategic mistake to send Sarah Palin out on the stump as warrior girl. Mr. McCain is war-y enough."

Writes Peggy Noonan. I don't know about that. We like our warrior girl... some of us. Those that don't like Palin the Warrior aren...

"Many will find it ironic to read Peggy Noonan — who was Ronald Reagan's speechwriter – claiming that Republicans are not very good at The Narrative.

"George Lakoff made a name for himself as a political commentator by expressing, at length, a contrary view." Nice discussion, by...

Live-blogging night 3 -- Sarah Palin alert! -- of the Republican Convention.

5:43 Central Time: I'm just setting this up so you can get started talking and to let you know that I'll be here -- on what is obvio...

If John McCain said, 'I got the white vote, baby!' his candidacy would be over."

Peggy Noonan on Hillary. To play the race card as Mrs. Clinton has, to highlight and encourage a sense that we are crudely divided as a nati...

"They didn't have to read Dostoevsky, they had to read critiques and deconstruction of Dostoevsky."

What's what's wrong with these kids today. Peggy Noonan looks at Scott Thomas Beauchamp and sees a whole twisted generation.