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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
Sept. 2, 2008
/ 2 Elul 5768
Does experience matter anymore?
By
Clarence Page
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
DENVER Let's hear it for youth and inexperience.
After choosing little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, it's going to be a little hard for Sen. John McCain to hold those qualities against Sen. Barack Obama.
After all, the vice president's only official job is to be one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Palin's rise raises intriguing questions, like how much does experience count anyway?
If Obama's resume in national and foreign affairs is "thin," as his critics point out, you could read a newspaper through hers. She stands out in stark contrast to Sen. Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, a seasoned chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But I see she holds a college degree in journalism. I feel better about her already.
Besides, this campaign already has raised intriguing questions about how much experience should count in choosing a president or vice president.
Bill Clinton offered one of the most significant punch lines of the week during the Democratic convention when he reminded Democrats that "Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief. Sound familiar?"
Of course. The crowd went wild. Cheers. Applause. War whoops. It will be hard for anyone to say "You're no Bill Clinton" to Obama after Bill Clinton himself has called Obama another Bill Clinton.
Clinton punched a big hole through the question of whether a half-term in the Senate and eight years in the Illinois General Assembly offered Obama enough experience to lead the nation. "It didn't work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history," Clinton said. "And it won't work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history."
Which side of history you end up on has less to do with experience, it appears, than with one's ability to grab hold of the spirit of the times and connect with masses of people. Clinton understood that when he ran his own winning "Change vs. More of the Same" campaign in 1992. He addressed that year's national economic anxieties more effectively than President George H. W. Bush did.
Leadership is most dramatically tested in a crisis. President Clinton presided over an economic boom and a drop in crime, yet presidents like him get less credit for leadership than, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who held us together through the Great Depression and a war.
Obama, a first-term senator, has more Washington experience than Abraham Lincoln, who took office after serving only one undistinguished term in the House. Yet Lincoln is forever remembered for leading this country through its biggest domestic crisis, the Civil War.
Yet, Obama's rapid rise owes much to his being in the right place and time with the right inspiring thoughts for the nation.
Even at the bottom of his local popularity, Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York rose up amid the chaos of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to bark orders and offer a commanding reassuring presence that resonated across the country. Four years later, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, we searched for another Giuliani-like leader from the White House to the governor's mansion to the mayor's office in vain.
At the time of Obama's game-changing speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, Democrats were ready for a new generational alternative to the Revs. Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. Obama captured that spirit and has managed to ride it all the way to his party's nomination.
Now McCain, like Sen. Hillary Clinton during the primaries, mocks Obama's celebrity and speechmaking skills, as if the substance or impact of those speeches didn't matter. Yet, it is through great speeches that great leaders seize the spirit of the times and, in many cases, become famous.
"What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me," Obama said in his nomination acceptance speech. "It's been about you!" The crowd noisily approved that observation. A key to good leadership is your ability to remember that your followers are always more important than you.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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