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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
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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)
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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
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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
Oct. 13, 2005
/ 10 Tishrei, 5766
The bottom line for Bush
By
Max Boot
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Commentators are writing George W. Bush's political obituary. And why not? Things do seem pretty grim for the president, with surveys indicating that public disapproval (53% in Realclearpolitics.com's poll of polls) outweighs support (42.2%) by a hefty margin.
The top item on his second-term agenda Social Security reform has no chance of passage. His party is mired in scandal, with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and ex-federal procurement czar David Safavian under indictment. Charges of cronyism and incompetence swirl around the White House. Even conservatives are jumping ship over the president's spending binge and his nomination of a total nonentity an empty blouse for the Supreme Court.
None of it matters.
The best analogy is to the Reagan administration. In the middle of his second term, the Gipper was mired in the Iran-Contra scandal. Conservatives were disenchanted over his unwillingness to cut domestic spending and his willingness to deal with the new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. In the 1986 midterm election, Democrats regained control of the Senate. The next year they torpedoed Robert Bork's nomination to the high court, leading Ronald Reagan to appoint Anthony Kennedy, who has earned right-wing ire. Yet all these setbacks turned out be mere footnotes to the Reagan presidency. By the time of his death last year, Reagan was universally lauded for winning the Cold War and reviving the economy.
Likewise, Bush's legacy will not be defined by who he put on the Supreme Court, how he responded to Hurricane Katrina or what he spent. Posterity will look at the bottom line his record on peace and prosperity. And what will it find?
First, despite an accumulation of woes, including a devastating hurricane and soaring oil prices, the U.S. economy remains robust. According to the latest statistics, growth is at a healthy 3.3%, unemployment a low 5.1% and inflation an inconsequential 3.6%. On all but the latter, the U.S. is outpacing other industrialized countries. The euro area, for instance, is growing at a paltry 2%, and its unemployment rate is a hefty 9%. The economy is generally outside a president's control, but Bush's tax cuts helped produce our enviable record.
The second point, which is obvious but needs restating, is that there hasn't been any sequel to 9/11. None. That probably will change before long, but it's still pretty amazing that, four years after 9/11, the U.S. has not experienced any terrorist attacks on its soil (with the possible exception of the anthrax letters), while other countries that are lower-priority targets, including Britain, Spain and Indonesia, have suffered terribly. Some of it may be because of sheer luck, but Bush nevertheless deserves credit for aggressively fighting terrorism and keeping the United States safe at least for now.
If things continue on their current trajectory, he will also earn kudos for defeating the Taliban and creating a democratic government in Afghanistan. The situation is harder to judge in Iraq, where a recent poll of 3,000 people by the Washington-based International Republican Institute finds opinion evenly split over whether the country is headed in the right or wrong direction 43% versus 42%.
There is no shortage of negative indicators, from lack of electricity to a surfeit of suicide bombings. Yet there is also cause for optimism. All indications are that most Iraqis, including many Sunnis, plan to vote Saturday and that they will approve a new and relatively liberal constitution. Critics claim it will lead to the dissolution of Iraq, but it could just as plausibly create precisely the kind of federalist structure needed to keep disparate ethnic groups together without the lash of a dictator in Baghdad.
In any case, the ability of Iraqis to work together, however imperfectly, in a democratic government represents considerable progress in a country traumatized by years of Baathist tyranny. Another positive sign is the growing competence of the Iraqi army, which is taking a bigger hand in military operations from Baghdad to the western border.
There are no guarantees, but if the U.S. remains committed to Iraq for the long term, the odds tilt heavily in favor of our democratic allies and against the jihadists whose indiscriminate violence is alienating almost everyone. Perhaps for this reason, 78% of Iraqis expect their situation will improve in a year's time, according to the International Republican Institute poll, and only 10% think it will get worse. If their expectations pan out, Bush may yet be able to rescue his reputation from its current doldrums.
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.
Max Boot is Olin Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He is also a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard and a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times. To comment, please click here.
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