And, perhaps predictably, some of Noonan's critics already are predicting the end of her comeback. Last week, the political blog Wonkette ran a post about her first post-primary election column, saying: "Our girlfriend Peggy Noonan has been more enjoyable than usual this year, as a tragically drawn-out Democratic primary battle provided her with endless opportunities to touch herself while Barack Obama spoke pretty things....Now, that tortured eloquence has vanished."

Not so fast — though the Obama folks may have less in common with Noonan in the general election than they did in the primary.

"Jacob," she says, incanting my name for what must be the dozenth time, "the past few years have left me understanding more than ever that I am a conservative, and a particular kind of one. The Republican party has been, in my lifetime, the conveyor of conservative ideas. That has ended the past eight years. We'll see if it comes back. But conservatism is what engages my mind, and the U.S. is what engages my heart."