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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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
Feb. 20, 2007
/ 2 Adar, 5767
What was that all about?
By
Paul Greenberg
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
So what was last week's congressional debate about the war in Iraq all about?
Was it just an exercise in group therapy that gave every member of Congress an opportunity to unburden himself abut this long, cruel war?
Or was it a chance for everybody in the legislative branch to jiggle the commander-in-chief's elbow in the midst of a delicate combat operation, aka the Surge?
In another war, the decisions of another president and commander-in-chief were regularly second-guessed by a Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. But at least when Abraham Lincoln finally found a successful commander in U.S. Grant, that congressional committee didn't take up a resolution saying his new approach would never work. Nor did its members threaten to cut off support for the war.
Was last week's gabfest just an opportunity for a bevy of presidential hopefuls to position themselves for the campaign of '08 by aligning themselves with the latest public opinion polls? (Clearest case in point: Hillary Rodham Clinton.)
Or was all this speechifying just a chance for the new Democratic majority in Congress to pass some anti-war resolutions so the leaders of the party can say We Told You So when this new strategy proves as disappointing as the others?
Just as some politicians overdo their natural hubris when it comes to celebrating victory (Mission Accomplished!), others glory in American defeat (see the Vietnam Era). Call it a different kind of flag-waving. Only with a white flag. I've never been sure which is worse.
Does anybody really believe this debate in Congress was an attempt to support the troops in their latest push? How by solemnly resolving that their efforts will prove to in vain?
Here is the still new speaker of the House sounding retreat: "The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success. The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home."
If this is how to support the troops in the field by telling them their latest offensive is doomed then what would undermining them be?
Let us now praise John Murtha, congressman from Pennsylvania and obstructionist-in-chief where this war is concerned. At least he's been candid about the intention behind these resolutions telling the chief executive how he may and may not execute this war.
By imposing all kinds of requirements on spending for the war, said Mr. Murtha, Congress "stops the surge for all intents and purposes because (the administration) cannot sustain deployment."
Our troops in Iraq could now find themselves in a two-front war to protect their supply lines, one against the enemy and one against the Congress of the United States. It's starting to sound like Vietnam Redux.
Was this anti-war resolution by the House but the first step in cutting off funds and supplies for the war in the midst of what may prove a decisive campaign?
If so, the American people won't easily forgive those who would make the troops suffer for their anti-war principles. Or at least the American people shouldn't.
John McCain, senator from Arizona and a pillar of resolve as Congress's will to prosecute this war dissolves, skipped the debate in the Senate entirely, calling it meaningless. After all, the Constitution makes the president, not the Congress, commander-in-chief.
Yet this debate in both houses of Congress has served one useful purpose. Because the roll calls at the end will provide a handy list of those sunshine soldiers ready to lay down their packs and give up when prospects seem bleakest.
That same roll call will also confirm which of our congressional leaders aren't about to give up in perilous times. Names like John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman come to mind.
And should this new strategy somehow succeed, and the men and woman of the armed forces of the United States once again do the improbable, not to say impossible, the roll calls in the House and Senate will provide a handy list of those political leaders back home who never wavered in their support. And their names will shine.
So maybe this "meaningless" debate has served a purpose after all.
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.
JWR contributor Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Send your comments by clicking here.
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© 2006 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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