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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
March 29, 2005
/ 18 Adar II, 5765
Consensus? What's that?
By
Jamie Malanowski
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It’s interesting that judicial
nominations have become
such a blood sport in Washington
in the past 10 or 15 years. It’s
not that judges aren’t important.
But there are hundreds
of vitally important
things that go in
Washington that
cause less commotion
than a stiff breeze.
Perhaps it’s because
they’re simple. Most issues
are deeply complicated.
Two years ago
we were wondering
whether or not we
should invade Iraq. After
24 months of being
on the ground there, we
still don’t have a consensus.
Reforming Social
Security? Surely
out of all the ideas that
are floating around,
some new system will
be put into place. But
whether it will be the
best system will forever be a matter
of debate.
But judicial appointments are
easy, simply because they do not
depend on the obscure and slippery
future, but on the concrete, black-and-
white past. If a judicial appointee
has lived his or her life in
bland sobriety, a seat on the bench
awaits. But if the appointee has
been ardent, active and opinionated,
well, let the games begin.
A
president can appoint that person,
knowing how it will excite his party’s
core. And the other side can
pummel the appointee, for quite the
same reasons.
Currently President Bush has
nominated 10 people whom the Democrats
in the Senate have determined,
for various reasons, to be
unacceptable. The Democrats have
threatened to filibuster the appointments,
employing the timehonored
tactic Senate minorities
use to thwart the will of the majority.
The Republicans have
responded with a threat of
their own: having Vice
President Cheney, in his
role as president of the
Senate, rule that a simple
majority is all that’s needed
to confirm an appointment.
That would render
the filibuster useless, and
the president could stock
the bench with whomever
he wanted.
Right now everybody is
in a tizzy about what would
it mean if the Republicans
employed this so-called
nuclear option.
What everybody should
be in a tizzy about is the
pathetically degraded
state of American politics.
There was a time in recent
memory when the parties governed
toward the middle. Presidents
for the most part avoided
nominating controversial candidates,
and if a substantial body let
it quietly be known that a candidate
wasn’t acceptable, a
less controversial person
was put up instead. This
was because presidents
needed coalitions to
govern, and it wasn’t
prudent to go alienating
people.
Then in
1989 Democrats torpedoed
the nomination
of Robert Bork,
and the judicial
wars began.
Today very little in Congress is
intended to be accomplished by
consensus. The party leaders don’t
speak. The parties practice a zerosum
game approach to government
where victories are won on party
lines. Remember last year when
Speaker Hastert said he wouldn’t
bring the 9/11 Commission recommendations
to a vote in the House
unless a majority of Republican
members supported the bill?
Hastert had full Democratic support;
he could have passed the bill
at any time. But then it would have
been a bipartisan victory, and who
except the American people benefits
from that?
This is just one of many cases
where we can see just how we
have let our politics become dominated
by the extremists in each
party. Placating
them is
good for
soundbites ,
for
raising
money, for turning out the vote in
primaries.
It’s not good for the
great mass in the middle.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jamie Malanowski is a columnist for The Washington Examiner. Comment by clicking here.
03/22/05: More! More! More! Desire for status and possessions takes
toll on happiness, credit
03/15/05: Terror suspects can buy guns: Are you kidding me?
03/08/05: Ownership society? Some of us don't have the mental acuity to rationally speculate about the future
03/01/05: Royal flaps make sad English chaps
© 2005, Jamie Malanowski
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