The writer who popularized “kinder, gentler nation” and “a thousand points of light” 20 years ago for former President George H.W. Bush is now exhorting the often sharply divided nation to unite for whomever gets elected president come Nov. 4.

Tall order.

Publisher HarperCollins writes at its Web site:

“In this season of harsh rhetoric and angry political passions, Peggy Noonan’s Wall Street Journal column has been must reading for thoughtful liberals and conservatives alike. Now she issues an urgent call for all Americans to put these passions aside and support whoever becomes the next President. Because it is not the threats and challenges we face, but how we face them, that defines who we are as Americans.”

Noonan appears on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (but first a word or 500 about Sarah Palin):

In Time magazine, Noonan answered the question: Why did you decide to write this book now?
“All I wanted to say was, Guys, trouble is coming and we’ve got to take serious constructive steps to deal with the moment we’re in. Period. I swept the decks, took off from work, sat down in July and wrote roughly 30,000 words.”

Q. The book has a message of unity. Can we emerge out of this Presidential campaign as a united public? “I certainly hope so. Looking at Washington right now, you see a lot of Senators and congressmen who I think want to do the right thing, but feel themselves under serious pressure in a highly political moment.

“I think the election itself is going to continue to be the greatest political drama of our lifetimes. I’ve never seen a political year like this. I’ve never seen one with so many surprises. McCain rises from the ashes. Obama says nothing is inevitable. What a year! What a drama!”

More in Time, CLICK HERE.

David Sedaris is touring the world touting his latest book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. No, it’s not an anti-smoking screed, though he found the inspiration for the title while visiting Hiroshima, Japan, to quit smoking (long story, see video). His smoking cessation program, incidentally, cost him $23,000. He calls it the Japanese Method.
Sedaris is gaining a following for his unique observations of the little details in his life, which has readers and viewers laughing out loud.
To get a glimpse of what makes Sedaris tick, if you haven’t already heard him on NPR, tune in Tuesday’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the most influential TV host in pushing book sales, according to a recent survey (even bigger than Oprah, it claims).

To see the video, CLICK HERE.

Scott McClellan, the once-loyal Bush believer who wrote a stinging rebuke of the Bush Administration, appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Monday.
McClellan said he was a bit surprised at how personal the attacks were from the White House in reacting to What Happened.
Stewart challenged McClellan’s assertion in the book that the deceptions that took place weren’t intentional.

To tune in to the interview (two-parter), CLICK HERE
And a bonus reading by the B-52s’ Fred Schneider, with a little Love Shack touch.