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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 11, 2008
10 Menachem-Av 5768
Hardball and Hard Calls
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Britney Spears, blah blah blah. Paris Hilton, blah blah blah. Faces of presidents on dollar bills, blah blah blah.
Every presidential campaign has its silly season, and we're in one now. This is hardly the first such season. When George Washington chose not to run for a third term, the political parties turned political debates into brawls. The most honorable of men traded in various forms of exaggeration, hyperbole, lies and innuendo.
That happens when the stakes are high and human emotions, driven by ambition and power, litter the landscape like trash on the streets after the circus leaves town. In that campaign of 1800, Abigail Adams said the fight between her husband John and Thomas Jefferson spilled enough vitriol and venom to "ruin and corrupt the minds and morals of the best people in the world."
Despite their public scorn of "negative campaigning," both John McCain and Barack Obama have both sampled life on the low road. That will pass when one of them is elected and moves forward to run the country rather than run a campaign. The low road is always tempting, like driving bumper cars at the amusement park. Adlai Stevenson twice ran against Dwight D. Eisenhower vowing to "educate and elevate." He lost both times.
Issues are important, but so are personalities. Both of this year's candidates stand accused already of "playing the race card." Obama at his best rises above color, and shows how a black man with smarts and opportunities can get to the threshold of the White House. Whereas Jesse Jackson exploits victimhood, Barack Obama talks about the possibility that comes with responsibility. That's a big difference.
When Wesley Clark sneered at John McCain's heroics, saying, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president," he missed the point (and reflected the soldier's traditional envy and resentment of the fighter pilot).
Conventional wisdom (which I share) says that the election will be decided by the three debates. While the stiff, formal format isn't the best way to test their intellectual mettle, it will nevertheless tell us enough when the candidates finally settle on where they stand on the crucial foreign and domestic issues. By then, we should have a greater sense of their worldviews.
Since the surge in Iraq that McCain supported in defiance of public opinion, the United States has shown how to stand strong against a terrorist-supporting enemy. A loud and clear message was sent to Osama bin Laden and those in the Middle East tempted to follow his example that the Americans had staying power not to turn tail as the United States did in Somalia. The international goodwill squandered by George W. will have to be redeemed by the next man to occupy the Oval Office.
In acknowledging the death of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the editor of the New York Sun recalls that when he was planning a trip to the old Soviet Union, he asked to see Solzhenitsyn before he left. The famous Nobel laureate could not oblige, but offered this advice, "Remember, there is such a thing as good and evil."
I visited the Soviet Union for the first time during Glasnost, and several newspaper editors there told me how heartened they were by Ronald Reagan's characterization of their government as the "evil empire." If the president of the United States could call it like they saw it, there was hope that one day they might live as free men.
In his book "Hard Call: The Art of Great Decisions," McCain, writing with Mark Salter, tells of his admiration of Solzhenitsyn for making hard decisions that were not only not popular, but at risk of his life: "He was able to wreak enormous damage on the Soviet system of oppression and hasten the demise of the entire postwar balance of power."
Presidents are confronted with different kinds of decisions, but decisions just as brave and tough in making hard calls. The moment the president sits in the Oval Office, it's irrelevant whether we once saw him as a fighter pilot or a hero of the Hanoi Hilton, or as a celebrity with Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, or whether his face belongs on a dollar bill. Can he make the hard call? Will he flinch at the hard ball? Nothing blah blah about that.
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Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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