Peggy Noonan, on the proper role of a journalist.

Look who's extolling the virtues of a hostile press.

We are living in the age of emergency—the economy, the Mideast, North Korea, Iran. The president has an utter and historic inability to forge a relationship with Congress. Unemployment seems intractable. 

And the best Steve Kroft and "60 Minutes" could do was how wonderful are you?

Do you really want to go there, Peg?

“I’m feeling like a president.” George W. Bush was standing greeting New Yorkers before a speech 12 days ago in Manhattan. He was tanned, smiling, looked like he’d been getting his jogging in.

And,

The other reason is that the overwhelming majority of Republicans have come to respect George W. Bush, and get what he’s about. He is the next step after Ronald Reagan.

And,

Mr. Bush has a way of looking amused, both by himself and by the audience, but he manages to do it without seeming frivolous, and unlike his predecessor without seeming cynical. He has a kind of joshy gravitas.

And,

Advice to the administration: Take, as your inspiration for your daily reporting of the situation, the image of George W. Bush on the pitcher’s mound at Yankee Stadium. He didn’t spin the ball; he threw it straight and down the middle.

And,

Harry Truman was a great man. And I believe we are seeing the makings of a similar greatness in George W. Bush, the bantamy, plain-spoken, originally uninspiring man who through a good heart and a good head, through gut and character, simple well-meaningness and love of country is, in his own noncompelling way, doing the right tough things at a terrible time.

Think I'll stop there. That was just 2000-2001.