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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 9, 2009
/ 15 Shevat 5769
In defense of disagreement
By
Kathryn Lopez
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Flush with power from victory, his ego puffed by an adoring press and buoyed by a celebrity hype machine, President Barack Obama has taken to caricaturizing his opponents as malevolent enemies of the good. The good, of course, would be the president and his agenda.
One major enemy would be radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh. In a January interview with Sean Hannity, and on episodes of his own show, Limbaugh has asserted that he wants Obama to fail. The liberal-media demagogues who promptly pounced on these remarks missed what Rush was really saying, as usual.
Here are some choice words: "If I wanted Obama to succeed, I'd be happy the Republicans have laid down. And I would be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him. Look, what he's talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the U.S. government as possible, from the banking business to the mortgage industry, the automobile business to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work."
Limbaugh received heavy fire for his remarks. But what's wrong with them? To say anything else would have been a surrender and capitulation of the ideas he's spent the last 20 years of his life articulating and defending.
No one should be forced to throw out their principles just because they disagree with a popular president. Limbaugh and all happy warriors must continue to work hard advocating for their beliefs, no matter how fierce the tide is against them. As Limbaugh explained on his show, "Why is it any different, what's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem."
But it wasn't just Limbaugh the lightning rod that so angered the ascendant left. Two weeks into the Obama administration, reporters from Politico sat down with former vice president Dick Cheney. "Cheney warns of new attacks," the headline read, causing many Obama fans to condemn the man as a virulent scaremonger. Again, self-righteous fury has clouded the left's vision, blinding it to the values of context.
In the interview, Cheney asserted that keeping America secure is "a tough, mean, dirty, nasty business." He remarked about terrorists: "These are evil people. And we're not going to win this fight by turning the other cheek."
Cheney speaks from experience here. And I believe the former vice president expects the new administration will soon lessen its hubristic and high-minded tone once it starts receiving the sobering sort of intelligence reports that Cheney and the Bush team read for eight years.
Cheney is not a man looking to score a cheap partisan shot. This is a devoted public servant who saw the smoke from the Pentagon on 9/11. When he voices concern, it's not that he's hoping for an attack, or aiming to intimidate a rookie president and his team he's genuinely worried about his country. Obama might consider that the Republican politicians who disagree with his grand plans feel the same way.
Americans are looking for leadership. And leadership does not consist of chucking principle after every election cycle. Obama and the Dems need to understand that, though they now govern in the majority, they are not the only party in town, and that the opposing party represents real people with viable viewpoints, as well. The new administration must consider the principled criticisms of its Republican opponents instead of unleashing polarizing rhetoric.
This will be especially important when it comes to the extremely controversial economic stimulus plan, another radical reworking of the free-market system that could change this country for generations. But pass it must, the president has proclaimed. "No plan is perfect, and we should work to make it stronger... But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the essential." House and Senate Republicans, and the folks they represent, are not the nation's "enemies"; they are simply citizens with very reasonable, solid objections to many of the plan's provisions, and America cannot afford to have the Democratic claque dismiss them out of hand. For a change, Obama must stop demonizing his opponents. A wise president would rush to do it.
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