A few days ago I wrote to former President Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson asking him if he'd be up for doing a podcast interview about his Washington Post column declaring President Obama's rhetorical reputation in decline.

I got an auto reply in return:

"Thank you for your email. It is not possible for me to respond to each note, but I attempt to review them all, and I deeply appreciate your input. Sincerely, Michael J. Gerson."

Am I being peevish to ask: How is it possible to deeply appreciate something you're only going to attempt to review?