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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
April 17, 2009
/ 23 Nissan 5769
It's All Obama, All the Time
By
Roger Simon
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If it's Thursday, it must be Obama. Or Friday. Or Saturday. Or just about any day.
Barack Obama has gone from being historic to being ubiquitous.
He doesn't just control the news cycle, he is the news cycle.
Need an auto exec fired? A pirate killed? A dog patted? A Cuba policy addressed? An Easter egg rolled? An economy stimulated? Hey, he also does Seders!
This is not automatic for a president in his first 100 days. George W. Bush was so quiet he was virtually speechless in his first 100 days in office, even though he had to deal with an international crisis (the Chinese government took 24 Americans hostage) and a domestic crisis (race riots in Cincinnati).
Today, we have a president who so fills the airwaves that he really should have his own network with the motto: "All Obama, All the Time."
Scratch that. He doesn't need it. Cable news is pretty much that already.
I am not complaining. But it strikes me that President Obama is now speaking to us even when he doesn't really need to speak to us.
His speech Tuesday was a good example. It was a perfectly good speech. But it was not the "major" address that the White House advertised. Still, it was interesting. Obama likes to use his speeches to address his critics — even though polls show he does not have an overwhelming number of critics — and Tuesday he made a direct reference to one of his former critics.
In January 2008, just before the New Hampshire primary, at a speech at Nashua High School North, Hillary Clinton had made fun of Obama's use of inspirational rhetoric by quoting Mario Cuomo's famous line, "You campaign in poetry, but you govern in prose." After the speech, Clinton said of Obama: "I applaud his incredible ability to make a speech that really leaves people inspired. My point is that when the cameras disappear and you're there in the Oval Office having to make tough decisions, I believe I am better prepared and ready to lead our country."
The country disagreed (though Clinton did go on to win the New Hampshire primary and became Obama's secretary of state).
But in his speech Tuesday at Georgetown University, Obama began by saying: "This is going to be prose, and not poetry. I want to talk about what we've done, why we've done it, and what we have left to do."
It was supposed to be a meat-and-potatoes speech to get us used to the fact that we are going to be seeing so much of President Obama that we can't expect soaring rhetoric each time we see him. We can't expect — as Hillary Clinton again chided him on Feb. 25, 2008, in Rhode Island — that "the skies will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect."
Except Obama couldn't help himself Tuesday. He slipped in a little "celestial" stuff anyway by quoting the parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount about how you have to build your house upon rock and not sand. "We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand," he said. "We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity — a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest."
Not bad for a meat-and-potatoes speech.
Wednesday, he was back again. It was April 15, and there was no need for a speech, but some conservatives were running around making a tempest in a tea bag about paying their taxes, and even though the White House could have sent anybody out to make a speech about the tax code, they sent out their star in chief.
And he delivered. "For too long, we've seen taxes used as a wedge to scare people into supporting policies that increased the burden on working people instead of helping them live their dreams," Obama said. "That has to change."
Then he got ready to go to Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago, where he will make speeches on everything from drug trafficking to trade to global poverty.
So if a tree falls in the forest and Barack Obama is not there to talk about his forestry policy, does it really make a sound?
Not a chance.
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© 2009, Creators Syndicate
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