Patriotic Grace: What it is and Why we Need it Now

Patriotic Grace: What it is and Why we Need it Now
Peggy Noonan
Harper, 2008. 192 pgs. Nonfiction.

Noonan, a conservative political commentator and former speechwriter for President Reagan, argues for a much-needed return to civility, respect, and mutual regard in this slim but well-argued volume. Her thesis is that the 9/11 attacks "brought us together in a way not seen since World War II" but that the "stresses and divisions" of the Bush presidency have driven us apart and to extremes. Using as her starting point the false alarm when the Capitol was evacuated during President Reagan's viewing, she rightly points out that there will be times of trouble in the future when we will "all be running down the steps together" and that we need to prepare for those times not only with practical civil defense initiatives now, but with a greater willingness to really listen to one another and to agree to disagree with civility and restraint. Such a welcome relief from divisive rants of snark "journalism."

LW