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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
Oct. 7, 2009
19 Tishrei 5770
Calling for Barack the Bold
By
Roger Simon
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Obama in defeat. Head hung low. Chin on chest. Feet dragging along the ground.
He has lost the Olympics! (Which means half of Chicago is now cheering him.) He dared to leave the White House and go boldly where no president has gone before.
And he failed. Even some of his supporters say that going to Copenhagen, Denmark, to make a pitch to the International Olympic Committee was a mistake. Obama should never have risked it. To which I say: Baloney.
Barack Obama was not elected to be timid. His motto during the campaign was "change," not "cringe."
It is not all that important where the Olympics are held. (It is a TV show; who cares what country it is in?) What is important is the lesson Obama learns from his defeat.
The wrong lesson is: Take the easy path, play the safe bet, risk nothing.
The right lesson comes directly from Vince Lombardi: "Winners never quit, and quitters never win."
Barack Obama was elected to do bold things. And in difficult times, boldness is needed most.
So what should he do now? First, he should be bold on health care. Congress is not a place where boldness happens. Congress is a place where boldness goes to die.
Obama needs to be bold in backing the public option. The White House did not anticipate that the public would actually care about the public option. But it does. The public option is not the choice of "left-wing" America. (Left-wingers want a single-payer plan, like Canada's.) The public option is the choice of mainstream America.
If you force every American to buy health insurance, thereby providing the health care industry with millions of new customers, you must have some way of controlling that industry's greed. (If you want to see what unchecked greed leads to, you need look no farther than Wall Street.)
Obama said in his speech to a joint session of Congress in September that the public option would "keep insurance companies honest." Without it, presumably those companies won't be.
But Obama has also said the public option is merely a "sliver, one aspect" of health care reform in America. And when the White House dithers a little, Congress dithers a lot.
Obama now needs to demand that Senate Democrats adopt the public option as part of their health care bill and summon all 60 of their votes to block a filibuster on it. (If, after stopping a filibuster, individual Democrats want to vote against the health care bill on its merits, that is fine. But there is no point in having 60 votes if you are not going to use 60 votes.) This is better than using the majority-vote tactic called reconciliation. Reconciliation risks all sorts of unintended consequences.
Internationally, the president needs to be bold on Afghanistan. He needs to boldly stand up to those generals calling for more troops and say no.
More troops in Afghanistan will not protect America from the terrorists. More troops in Afghanistan will merely put more Americans within easy reach of the terrorists. Though National Security Adviser Jim Jones rapped the knuckles of the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, for calling for more troops publicly, it is not certain that Jones, a retired Marine general, actually disagrees with him.
"The key in Afghanistan," Jones told CNN's John King on Sunday, "is to have a triad of things happen simultaneously." In addition to security, Jones said, the country needs economic development and "good governance and the rule of law."
Oh, is that all? So I guess the troops will be home by Christmas. In 2099.
What the United States needs to do in Afghanistan is to continue to make sure al-Qaida cannot use it as a base of operations to strike at the United States.
What about making sure Afghanistan has "good governance and the rule of law"? I am not sure there are enough troops in the world for that. And even if the United States did possess such troops, foreign troops cannot prop up a corrupt and unpopular government indefinitely. It didn't work in Vietnam, and it won't work in Afghanistan.
What will work? What Joe Biden is advocating. According to The New York Times, Biden favors a plan in which "American forces would concentrate on strikes against Qaeda cells, primarily in Pakistan, using special forces, Predator missile attacks and other surgical tactics. The Americans would accelerate training of Afghan forces and provide support as they took the lead against the Taliban."
This is not the safest path politically. The safest path politically is to give the generals whatever they want. But that is not the path Obama should take.
As great a nation as we are, our powers are not unlimited. We cannot fight every war everywhere. We can help people fight for their countries, but we cannot fight for them.
And we need a president bold enough to say so.
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© 2009, Creators Syndicate
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