Peggy Noonan (born September 7, 1950) was a speechwriter for U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. She coined the phrase "a kinder, gentler nation" and also popularized H.G. Well's "a thousand points of light," two memorable catchphrases used by Bush. However she also was the one who pushed for Bush to pledge "Read my lips: no new taxes" in his 1988 acceptance speech. She is now an author, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and a commentator on broadcast and cable television news shows. She remains a Reagan-style conservative.

Mid-August 2004, Noonan took an unpaid leave of absence from the Wall Street Journal to work as a consultant for George W. Bush's reelection campaign.

Before the Reagan years, she worked for Dan Rather at CBS News.

Books

• 1990: What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era (ISBN 0812969898)
• 1994: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (ISBN 1558505091)
• 1998: Simply Speaking: How to Communicate Your Ideas With Style, Substance, and Clarity (ISBN 0788167758)
• 1999: On Speaking Well (ISBN 0060987405) (A Paperback edition of "Simply Speaking")
• 1999: Character Above All (ISBN 0684827093) (One Chapter in an anthology)
• 2000: The Case Against Hillary Clinton (ISBN 0060393408)
• 2001: When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan (ISBN 0142001686)
• 2003: A Heart, A Cross And A Flag (ISBN 0743250052)