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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
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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
March 27, 2009
2 Nisan 5769
Obama's indelicate exposure
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom, like the tick tick tock of the
clock, like the drip drip drip of the raindrops, a voice within me keeps
repeating, Obama Obama Obama.
With all due apologies to the author, Cole Porter's lyrics of "Night and
Day" make a point lost on the president. No matter where he is, the Oval
Office or Jay Leno's studio set, addressing Congress or holding up
traffic in a motorcade on his way to a PTA meeting, the president is not
an ordinary citizen. Like it or not, those days are behind him. The
private man and the public man become as one in a president. What he
does, says, or doesn't say or doesn't do, he does it before an audience.
Obama goes out of his way to seek a celebrity's attention, and he's
still in his first hundred days. When he makes an off-hand jest about
his bowling score and the Special Olympics the sort of tasteless
attempt at dark humor that anyone might make within a tight circle of
good friends the whole world hears it, and the pundits can't wait to
leap. We should all "lighten up," but if a president can't resist going
on television to banter with a comedian, he ought to leave the comedy to
the comedian, who gets paid for sarcasm and irony.
It's a shame that the eye of the camera tempts presidents to try to be
the entertainer in chief. Michelle might emulate Bess Truman after Harry
couldn't resist playing the piano with Lauren Bacall in fetching repose
atop the upright. Mr. Truman, on a night out at the National Press Club,
was only doing what any red-blooded man might, but Bess was not amused.
She told him it simply wasn't dignified, that he was definitely not to
"play it again, Harry."
Dignity, of course, isn't what it used to be. Indeed, the concept seems
faintly quaint in an era when almost anything goes. As comfortable as
the president may look on the CBS show "60 Minutes," with Jay Leno or in
a primetime press conference, he's spending valuable emotional and
intellectual capital with the relentless exposure in the modern media.
Confident and cool, he's nevertheless beginning to look a lot like a man
afflicted with the hubris of show biz.
Since the campaign ended, the stakes have changed. He has yet to
understand the lesson learned by Steven Chu, his secretary of energy.
Asked what he likes least about his new job, he replied: "The fact that
I'm constantly being told that I have to be careful what I say to the
press and in public. I can't speculate out loud anymore. Everything I
say is taken with total seriousness."
Even laughter can be suspect. Steve Croft, the president's interviewer
on "60 Minutes," suggested the president might be "punch drunk" when he
chuckled aloud in discussing the crash of the economy. "Gallows humor,"
the president later called it. But that doesn't work for a president,
whether hot or cool. Most of us didn't expect Bill Clinton to feel our
pain, and we don't expect Barack Obama to laugh at it.
None of this will matter much if, as he suggested it would in his press
conference this week, the economic crisis soon eases. He'll get the
credit, and that's how it should be. But there should be a bright line
between behaving as the commander in chief and entertaining as a
celebrity in chief.
The history of Washington and Hollywood eager to trade places is a long
one. Politicians and entertainers imagine themselves as stars in the
same galaxy. Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart campaigned for FDR, to the
dismay of studio executives (that, too, seems quaint today). JFK enjoyed
the company of Marilyn Monroe and was pals with Frank Sinatra (who later
liked to hang out with the Reagans). Barbra Streisand sometimes slept at
the White House (in the Lincoln Bedroom, of course) during the Clinton
years.
Said Gerald Ford, in another context, "If Lincoln were alive today, he'd
be spinning in his grave." Lauren Bacall understood the "natural
attraction" between Washington and Hollywood. "They have access to real
power, and we sing, dance and act."
The modern president crosses that bright line between statecraft and
stagecraft at his peril. Obama would do well to remember that statecraft
is what we elected him to manage. He should leave the barbs and yuks to
the professionals.
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.
Comment on JWR contributor Suzanne Fields' column by clicking here.
Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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