
 |
|
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
|
| |
Jewish World Review
January 16, 2009
/20 Teves 5769
Big wet kisses beg the questions
By
Wesley Pruden
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The loyal opposition is loyal enough, but it's not much of an opposition. The Republicans in the Senate, with a dwindling number of honorable exceptions, are a soft and squishy lot.
Barack Obama's Cabinet selections are sailing through the vetting committees at warp speed, getting not the tough questions all nominees deserve but big wet kisses.
Eric Holder, whose role in the Clinton pardons scandal is a dark mystery, was braced for tough questions Thursday and all he got were invitations to a honeymoon cottage. When he conceded what even a sleepy schoolboy knows, that the civilized nations are at war with Islamist barbarians, Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina was ready with a pucker: "I'm almost ready to vote for you right now."
This followed by two days the Republican wolf whistles for Hillary Rodham Clinton, who might as well have been asked questions about her sign (Scorpio), her favorite color (blue, naturally), or what kind of tree would she like to be (hickory, hard enough to crack nuts) if she could come back as a tree. When the vote was taken, only David Vitter of Louisiana voted not to recommend her to the full Senate.
Barring extraordinary circumstances, every president is entitled to choose the men and women he wants around him as he tries to govern a contentious and often cranky nation, but principled (or at least partisan) opposition nearly always takes down a vulnerable nominee or two. Nobody should have expected this to include Mrs. Clinton; the Republican reward for giving her a pass this week will be watching her repay Mr. Obama with the distress and anguish that only Bubba could tell him to expect. With the Clintons, everything is about the Clintons.
When the Republicans vetting Mrs. Clinton hid under their desks everyone in Washington thought the GOP was holding its fire, waiting for the Holder hearings since he was regarded as the most vulnerable Obama nominee. But Senate Republicans have no fire, in the belly or elsewhere, and Republican backbone is cast mostly in jelly.
Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania bestirred himself briefly, asking Mr. Holder about presidential mercy for Marc Rich, the fleeing financial felon pardoned by Bill Clinton in the last hours of his presidency. Mr. Holder, who was then the No. 2 at the Justice Department, told the White House that he was "neutral," when he was actually working for Mr. Rich, but "leaning" toward advising the president to grant the pardon. Bubba didn't need much advice, since Marc Rich would be a generous contributor to his presidential library in Little Rock.
Mr. Holder repeated an earlier apology for misleading the White House (the lawyerly euphemism for "lying to the White House") and said he should have "studied" the pardon more. Mr. Holder said he learned from his mistake and the experience would make him "a better attorney general." If "the bigger the blunder the better the attorney general" is a reliable guide, this opens real possibilities for presidents in search of "better" attorneys general. But that was good enough for Mr. Specter. He sank back in his chair, exhausted by his exertions.
Mr. Holder established his credentials early in the hearings. He's against torture (as who isn't), and particularly against waterboarding, or simulated drowning. The sensation is unpleasant, as anyone who has inadvertently drawn a deep breath underwater at the country club pool could tell you. It isn't lethal but it is effective. It's also "legal, safe and rare," as Democrats are fond of saying abortion should be.
There was even more good news for Islamic radicals who may be plotting more mayhem in America. Mr. Holder repeated the Obama promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo, but, like the president-elect, he isn't sure when, or how, or what to do with the unrepentant terrorists imprisoned there.
"I think we want to leave our options open," he told the senators. "The one thing I can assure you and the American people and, frankly, the world is that whatever system we use it will be consistent with our values. It will be a system that has due process guarantees."
This evoked cheers from the gallery, but none of the senators thought to ask what assurances he could offer mere Americans - frankly, the world doesn't worry about this all that much - that America would continue to be safe from the likes of the men who brought down the World Trade Center and inflicted pain and death at the Pentagon.
Mr. Holder clearly has a soft spot for pardons of all kinds. He told Jeff Sessions of Alabama that President Clinton's pardon of 16 Puerto Rican separatists for the 1982 bombing of a federal office building in Manhattan was "reasonable" because they had served 19 years and besides, they didn't actually carry out violent acts. The FBI said they did, but what could the investigators know? No more questions, please.
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 Wesley Pruden is editor in chief of The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
Wesley Pruden Archives
© 2007 Wesley Pruden
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|