[John Cole]

Rick,

Probably I made a little too much out of her concluding remarks about the R's leaving more money in people's pockets and reducing the size of government. (Of course, I do need to keep reminding myself how much extra money I have now every time I marvel at the shrinking federal government now that we have Bush in office. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ). Perhaps the mantra is now so familiar I unfairly judged Noonan as guilty by association--sorry for the McCarthyism.

I do agree that D's hurt themselves with unqualified support of all abortions, but responsible people at abortion clinics do provide counseling to all who wish to have abortions. (And, I think this will most likely get me into trouble, but I'm not sure notifying parents is a good idea.) No, I don't think Democrats are out of touch with the majority of Americans on this issue at all.

She says that the Dems are are party of warring pressure groups and then raises the "pro-abortion" group. I don't think I'm reading her intent wrongly, but she could pull a Quadnines and back out of this one. I will concede your point, though.

Rick, reread the passage on busing in Boston. Noonan knows full well the problem was not the distance that students were forced to travel, and to even utter this suggests her understanding of race relations in the US died with her early idealism.

Finally, you don't really beleive she's self-effacing, do you? I know you are, and you wouldn't have included any mention of this.

One final point: she demonstrates that Bush reaches out to the great middle class and its values, yet she fails to look at how the great middle class looks at the abortion issue at the same time.

John