Peggy Noonan suddenly believes that presidential hero-worship is un-American:
The Founders, who were awed by the presidency and who made it a point, the early ones, to speak in their inaugural addresses of how unworthy they felt, would be astonished and confounded by the over-awe with which we view presidents now. We treat them as if they are the Grand Imperial Czar of the Peacock Throne, and we their 'umble servants. It's no good, and vaguely un-American. Right now patriotism requires more than the usual candor. It requires speaking truthfully and constructively to a president who is a man, and just a man. We hire them, we fire them, they come back for photo-ops. They're not magic.
BlueTexan at FDL takes down this crap on a stick in detail, citing quote after quote in which Noonan genuflects at the throne of Bush and Reagan.
But also, regarding Ms. Noonan, have you noticed that she's one of those pundits who writes exactly the way she speaks -- that slow, verbose Ativan meets Hot Toddy snootery? She's the Major Winchester from M*A*S*H of the insider pundit set. This of course makes her appear to be smart and insightful, but doesn't quite mask the layer of very serious group-think and 'ackery lingering just below the surface.