Still basking in the glow of victory

One week later and Peggy Noonan is still deliriously happy.

This week I went to a symposium thrown together at the last minute by the Club for Growth, the Washington-based political action committee that gives crucial financial help to candidates who espouse economic policies that will help the American job machine, and opposing those who do not. Almost every Senate and House candidate they backed this year won. . . .

Members of the club gathered in a New York hotel room, and president Stephen Moore said we ought to take a moment for a full and uninhibited gloat. So we applauded, stomped and cheered. It's good to see Republicans show their joy. Republicans are people who can always see the next problem down the road, and are always working on it; moreover they're often like the Irish and the Jews, who don't believe in good fortune, and if it happens don't mention it or it will stop. But for this night, skepticism, worry and even maturity were put aside, and everyone was just happy.

Her column, by the way, is entitled "He's got two of 'em." Here's why.

About a year ago I was visiting West Point, and I was talking to a big officer, a general or colonel. But he had the medals and ribbons and the stature, and he asked me what I thought of President Bush. I tried to explain what most impressed me about Mr. Bush, and I kept falling back on words like "courage" and "guts." I wasn't capturing the special quality Mr. Bush has of making a tough decision and then staying with it if he thinks it's right and paying the price even when the price is high and--

I stopped speaking for a moment. There was silence. And then the general said, "You mean he's got two of 'em." And I laughed and said yes, that's exactly what I mean.