Nobles and knaves

Nobles: The avuncular Alistair Cooke, who, during his long career in American television and British radio broadcasting, became something extraordinary — an uncle to both nations.

As the host of “Masterpiece Theater,” Mr. Cooke became the personification of British manners and high-mindedness to Americans. Through his weekly BBC radio commentaries “Letter from America,” Mr. Cooke became an embodiment of American mores to the British.

The blood of the cross-Atlantic cousins coursed through his veins. Mr. Cooke was born in northern England, the son of an ironworker. After studying at Cambridge, he came to the United States on an education fellowship. Mr. Cooke settled in New York City in the late 1930s and became a U.S. citizen in 1941. He became a BBC broadcaster in 1934, but his “Letter from America” didn’t begin until 1946.

Mr. Cooke typed each “Letter” from his apartment overlooking Central Park. While he tended to highlight the positives of both cultures, he had a liberal outlook and could cast a critical eye at conservatives. In more than six decades and nearly 3,000 shows, he only missed three broadcasts.

He won numerous awards (including four Emmys) and was granted an honorary knighthood by the queen in 1973. Mr. Cooke was even invited to address the U.S. Congress on the nation’s 200th anniversary.

Mr. Cooke was 95 years old when he died this week. For his special role in the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, Mr. Cooke is the Noble of the week.

Knaves: The trashers of the House of Rove.

It is bad enough when the anti-everything protesters stomp through the District and dirty up the Mall, but at least that’s a public place — with plenty of dirt. It’s a far different matter when such mobs storm personal residences.

On Sunday, nine busloads of activists from the National People’s Action (NPA) violated the home of senior presidential adviser Karl Rove. They fanned around his residence and beat on his windows; they waved signs and shouted slogans; they tracked Mr. Rove through his windows and they made his children cry. Had it been a rampaging mob of Republicans, the group would not have left until they had cut the grass, cleaned the gutters and put gas in Mr. Rove’s car. Instead, the NPA’ers only left after Mr. Rove agreed to a two-minute meeting.

NPA has plenty of issues — ranging from immigration policy to predatory lending. Its tactics are purely predatory. The group’s fight song reads, “Who’s on your hit list NPA?/Who’s on your hit list for today?/Take no prisoner, take no names. Kick ’em in the [backside] when they play their games.”

The only silver lining was that the navigational skill of the activists equaled their level of civility. A group of them tried to visit Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao with the same ugliness, but were unable to find her home.

For their thuggery in the guise of political activism, the NPA activists are the Knaves of the week.