A Peggy Noonan Christmas Special

Between feedings, the Crazy Dolphin Lady thrills WaPo readers with a chat about Papa Jay Pee:

I have just had a wonderful Christmas lunch in Manhattan with close friends. We were high up in a building, on the 65th floor, and the city was spread out before us and we could see as far as Jersey. Dominating the landscape was the Empire State building, Kong-less and looking somehow...old fashioned. Like the 1930's. Like the city when I first saw it when I was a kid. Now I'm back home in Brooklyn watching the news on CNN....

Or herself.

But then some punk asks Peg about John Paul the Great Opponent of Bush's Illegal War.

Annapolis, Md.: Hi:

Why did Pope John Paul II opppose the war in Iraq?

Peggy Noonan: There is so much talk about that, I mean there has been. I'm not going to get down in the weeds in terms of 'He really was opposed', 'He really wasn't!' I took it this way: He was the Vicar of Christ in the world. What would such a person do, oppose war or encourage it? Ask for patience or violent action? It is, not to be crude, the job of a pope to oppose a resort to arms and support peacefulness. It is his job to encourage prayer and peace. So his stand as I understood it never surprised me, and did not discourage me. And I believe his public statements garnered what they deserved, respect and attention.

So Ol' Karol W. was only great when he wasn't supporting peace.

And that pedophile thing ... not his fault.

I believe John Paul simply could not imagine -- had no catagory for -- could not possibly envision -- the idea of priests of the church operating in a racket in which they sexually abuse children and when their superiors learn of it the priests are not sacked but transferred, quietly. John Paul grew up in a church in which priests were heroic. They saved lives. They risked their own lives. They resisted the Nazis and the communists. I think the old man simply couldn't imagine the way the American church was being run.

A guy that resisted Nazis and commies but couldn't imagine pedophiles... now that's greatness!

Anyway, those pedophile priests aren't going to ruin Peggy's supper.

It is dark now already in Brooklyn and I am about to go have dinner. Goodnight everyone.

Goodnight, Loon.