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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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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
January 20, 2009
/24 Teves 5769
The honeymoon ends promptly at noon
By
Wesley Pruden
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Now we're about to see who Barack Obama really is. We won't any longer have to rely on parsing his speeches, looking for clues and deciphering the contradictions. We'll still get speeches - he delivers good ones - but presidents don't get to vote "present" when the question on the table is what to do about a collapsing economy or terrorists plotting mayhem on New York City.
We'll learn exactly what he means by "change." So far his administration looks more like a Clinton Restoration than anything anticipated by the embittered cult on the far fringes of the nutcake left. That's better than some of us expected. But Nancy Pelosi, the dowager queen of the San Francisco Democrats, and some of her congressional acolytes still dream of resurrecting Nuremberg and putting George W. and Dick Cheney in the dock, like Hermann Goering. She's disappointed that the new president so far shows scant appetite for marching his predecessor to a hanging tree, or watching him abused under a hail of designer omelet pans thrown by a giddy Lavender Hill mob at a gallows erected at the San Francisco City Hall.
Mr. Obama, like all his predecessors, must disappoint somebody. So far it's only the nuts who can't imagine life beyond a rant against what, after today, will be the past. The list kept on the left of his grievous offenses is already a long one: He brings to heel a few moderately conservative pundits, briefly stiff-arms the noisy gay-rights lobby with his choice of preachers to pray at his inauguration, makes John McCain purr with vague promises of an important job, perhaps as chairman of Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up Week, and promises comity and civility along with whatever change he can forge in Washington. He basks in the creepy adulation of the moment, straining the senses and fortitude of the sane, the sound and the sensible, but it's only fair to keep in mind that the man and his cult are not necessarily the same thing.
The anticipation rocking the capital is surely alarming to the man, because he understands if no one else does that expectations are exaggerated, unreasonable and often foolish. The governor-general of Canada, where January weather sometimes does weird things to the brain, calls Mr. Obama "a major step" in the evolution of humanity. The London Daily Telegraph clearly agrees, observing that Mr. Obama "redefines the male physique," and offers a photograph of him emerging from the ocean surf, demonstrating how far the amoeba has come. In Hollywood, Demi Moore organizes movie stars to promote sacrifice and to lead by example. One twinkler promises to drink no more water from plastic bottles, another bravely promises to ride the subway the next time she's in New York. (It's sometimes hard to lead, but somebody's got to do it.)
Alas, the honeymoon ends at noon.
George W. leaves an economy virtually owned by the state, and sinking. The new president is dreaming if he thinks that six months hence the recession (or depression if it comes to that) will be regarded as George W.'s. The Israelis accomplished their mission in Gaza, leaving everything neat and tidy (considering the time and place) for the new beginning.
But the incoming president got a pointed reminder Sunday morning of what lies just ahead. Ignoring his mentor-turned-nemesis, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was preaching in a Washington pulpit, Mr. Obama took his family instead to an old-line Baptist congregation, there to hear the pastor tell of the saga of Queen Esther, the Jewish queen of ancient Persia - now Iran - who by wit and wile saved ancient Israel from destruction. Said the pastor, the Rev. Derrick Hawkins, to the man seated on the second row: "Perhaps, just perhaps, you are where you are for just such a time." No one could miss the point of the sermon.
Given the creepy adulation, Mr. Obama may be tempted to believe the conventional wisdom that nothing succeeds like success. What he will learn is that nothing recedes like success. Friends become disappointed adversaries, adversaries become angry enemies and the cult becomes a mob, looking for revenge and a rope. "If you want a friend in Washington," Harry S. Truman once said, "get a dog."
But Barack Obama, who likes to read and who has studied history, knows all this. This is his day, and he's entitled to the heartfelt best wishes of one and all. Here's my prayer for God to shower His blessings on the president of the United States. He's going to need every one of them.
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.
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