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.