Calling 'Bull Hockey' on Peggy Noonan

View Story On One Page

Print This Story

Share This Story

By Matt Haber

October 2, 2008 | 12:03 p.m

Last night, Wall Street Journalist columnist and former presidential speech writer Peggy Noonan appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to talk about the elections and plug her new book, Patriotic Grace.

About halfway through the interview, Mr. Stewart got off on a mini rant about why the candidates are no longer talking about the issues and worked himself up to this:

Sarah Palin's views on abortion? I absolutely respect those. But don't sit there and say, "Hey, I think in the case of rape, abortion should still be illegal" and then pretend that as vice president, "Hey, man, that's just a personal thing. Whatever you do that's your choice." That's bull—

Ms. Noonan, who supplied the mots justes for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, offered a suggestion: "Bull hockey?"

Ms. Noonan clearly knows the word "bullshit" as her infamous open mic gaffe from the Republican National Convention shows. While talking to NBC's Chuck Todd and Republican strategist Mike Murphy about whether Governor Sarah Palin was qualified to be vice president, Ms. Noonan was overheard saying, "The most qualified? No! I think they went for this—excuse me—political bullshit about narratives."

Ms. Noonan explained herself—sorta—in a Wall Street Journal column from Sept. 3 headlined "Open Mic Night at MSNBC":

I did say two things that I haven't said in public, either in speaking or in my writing. One is a vulgar epithet that I wish I could blame on the mood of the moment but cannot. No one else, to my memory, swore. I just blurted.

Talk about—excuse me—patriotic grace.