Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, whom graciously permitted The Patriot Post permission to carry her work back in 2006, has won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Normally, we’re not inclined to celebrate Pulitzer Prizes, as they’re typically just the Leftmedia’s way of self-congratulation, but this win by a conservative is different.

Noonan is one of the Journal’s and our most popular columnists. As a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, she crafted such memorable speeches as the “Boys of Pointe du Hoc” marking the 40th anniversary of D-Day, and the remarks he gave after the Challenger explosion in 1986. Indeed, Noonan has a way with words that those of us who write for a living aspire to capture.

The Journal describes why Noonan was honored this year: “Ms. Noonan won for a variety of her columns during 2016, in particular for her prescient pieces on Donald Trump and the political uprising his candidacy represented. Ahead of most others, she foresaw Trump’s rise and his appeal to Americans who were frustrated by the leaders of both major political parties. Ms. Noonan didn’t shrink from addressing Trump’s many flaws as a candidate, but she always showed great respect for the intelligence of voters and explained the currents of American life and politics that catapulted Trump to the White House.”

Ironically, it’s Noonan’s depth of understanding and empathy that earned her great scorn among some grassroots conservatives for her writing not just on Trump but on Barack Obama. She wrote insightfully about why Obama appealed to millions and why he won twice. Likewise, early on she saw how and why an outsider and former Democrat like Trump managed to win the Republican nomination in spite of — or in some case, because of — his deep flaws. She fully understood what ultimately undid Hillary Clinton and foresaw that Trump would pull off the upset.

Noonan’s Pulitzer win is, in our estimation, well deserved. Congratulations!