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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
August 5, 2009
15 Menachem-Av 5769
The untold story of the 2008 election
By
Roger Simon
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson have just written “The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election.” It is a riveting account, combining big-picture analysis, important revelations and intriguing anecdotes.
Johnson is the author of 14 books and the winner of a Pulitzer Prize. Balz is the lead political writer for The Washington Post and, as editor of my college newspaper, had the foresight to give me my first byline.
I interviewed them over the weekend, a few days before the official publication of their book.
Me: One of the most explosive parts of your book deals with Ted Kennedy and how he endorsed Barack Obama, in part, because he believed that Bill and Hillary Clinton “were misrepresenting things for racial reasons.”
Balz: It bothered Kennedy immensely. What attracted Kennedy to Obama was Kennedy’s belief that Obama could transcend race, that his message was not racially based and America could move forward on the racial divide.
But Kennedy believed the racial stuff [raised by the Clinton campaign] was getting cranked up in a way that was destructive and harmful to whoever was the nominee, that Obama would get characterized as the “black candidate” and that it could cost the Democrats the election.
Also, in a phone conversation with Bill Clinton, Kennedy believed Bill “trashed” Obama in a way that greatly disturbed Kennedy.
Me: How did Bill Clinton go from being “America’s first black president” to being, at least in the view of some, a racially divisive figure?
Balz: I think he just got out of control. Part of it was understandable: This is a husband campaigning for his wife. He felt so strongly about her that he literally was prepared to do anything he could to help her get elected. His judgment got clouded by that. In his defense, there is nothing in Bill Clinton’s history that would suggest he would do anything that would divide the races. But it clearly hurt him; it cost him a lot.
Me: If Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had switched staffs, would Hillary have won?
Balz: She might have won. There is no question that the Obama team outperformed the Clinton team. But even if Hillary had had the Obama team, she still would have had her vote on the Iraq war.
Me: Haynes, you won your Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for your coverage of the civil rights movement in Selma, Ala. How crucial a factor was race in the 2008 campaign?
Johnson: Race is still the dominant factor in American life. It is always there. Barack Obama was the most unlikely candidate for president ever in American history due to his lack of experience and his marginal record, and then you add in the factor of race. I look back on it with awe that Obama made it. He maneuvered through the process. He didn’t court race, but he gave a great speech in Philadelphia about race.
Me: But didn’t the comments of his then-pastor, Jeremiah Wright, force Obama to make that speech?
Johnson: I don’t think Obama would have given the speech had it not been for Rev. Wright. The Wright thing forced Obama to give an eloquent and incredibly important speech. Wright, in the end, helped Obama. But it almost destroyed him. He had to face race publicly. He had to speak to a new generation of Americans and reach a different kind of America that cuts across all the racial lines.
Me: Some have said that had Obama been white, he never would have gotten the nomination.
Johnson: I think that is exactly right. Had he just been a brilliant, articulate white man running for office after two years after being in the U.S. Senate, he would have gotten nowhere.
The fact he was black, the fact of his background, the fact of his name, the fact of his eloquence, the fact he could touch chords that wanted to be touched, it all added up to him being right for the time. Had he not been black, he would not have made it to the presidency.
Me: You guys write that John McCain most likely would have pledged to serve only one term had Joe Lieberman been his running mate.
Balz: They talked to Lieberman about it, and Lieberman was quite happy to pledge to serve just one term!
Me: It is hard to imagine the Republican convention agreeing to put Joe Lieberman, a pro-choice Democrat, on the ticket.
Balz: It was a little divorced from reality. But the campaign was looking for a way to say to people: John McCain is an exceptional kind of politician. He is prepared to do what is best for the country and take a guy who is a Democrat onto the ticket. And we are going to try to find the best solutions for the country and serve only one term and then we are gone.
Me: So what happened?
Balz: Bill McInturff [McCain’s lead pollster] said: “Are you guys crazy?” And that killed it.
Me: Enter Sarah Palin. A net plus or a net minus?
Balz: Selecting Palin was a political risk they should not have taken. They did not appreciate that she was not ready for the rigors of a national campaign. There were things about Palin that were very impressive, like her connectivity with voters, particularly the Republican base. But the McCain campaign miscalculated Palin’s ability to reach beyond the base.
Me: Can Palin get the Republican nomination in 2012?
Balz: It seems pretty unlikely. Since the campaign, she has not done anything to make herself a more attractive candidate in 2012.
Me: Can Hillary Clinton run in 2016? She’d be 69.
Balz: Probably. But age will be a factor.
Me: What is one thing we have learned from the results of 2008?
Johnson: I think we have witnessed and are witnessing one of the great stories in our history. There is a sense of enormous pride in this country. Even for those who did not vote for Obama, people are proud we elected him. But the danger is that we are still a terribly polarized nation. There is a reservoir of goodwill in this country. But how long will it last?
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© 2009, Creators Syndicate
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