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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
Feb. 3, 2009
/ 9 Shevat 5769
Looking for change in unlikely places
By
Wesley Pruden
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Change is good. Everyone says so. But easier said than done. Just ask Barack Obama, who sold the prospect of "change" with the fervor of a patent-medicine salesman on the back roads of beyond. Alas, presidents, unlike medicine-show men, can't move on to suckers in the next town.
When the president offers change to a surly foreign enemy, he gets insults. He went on Arab television - nothing wrong with that, and he blew off the New York Times while doing it - and delivered an artless half-grovel to the Muslims that America loves them as much as it loves monsignors and Methodists. "To the Muslim world," he told his interviewers, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." He wants to "restore" America's relations with the Islamic world to what they were in the good old days "as recently as 20 or 30 years ago." (But the Iranians shouldn't get any ideas, please, about reprising the taking of American hostages, which is what they were doing in Tehran 30 years ago.)
Before the president could resume the upright position, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran told him there will be no settling for a dime-store friendship or cheap talk about unclenched fists, even from an American with a Muslim middle name, roots in a grade school in Indonesia and with a dotty Aunt Zuni in a Boston attic. Islam deserves nothing short of a full grovel, with an apology for American "crimes" and misdemeanors. He expects "deep and fundamental changes" in America, and why haven't Americans done anything about his earlier suggestion they convert to Islam? No more Christmases, white or otherwise, and no more Easter Parades. Passover must be passed over, permanently. No more ham sandwiches at Subway. (Sheep's eyes, anyone?)
Back at home, "change" continues to be as elusive as ever. The Democrats think they've died and gone to the heaven without virgins, festooning spendthrift Son of Bailout with dozens of bridges to Nowhere. Nowhere will soon be the easiest destination to reach anywhere. Nancy Pelosi and her San Francisco Democrats, with an assist from her sidekick Harry Reid, will use the bailout (and bailouts to come) to remake America into the liberal utopia they've been dreaming of. So no change there. The Democrats are as mired in their expensive ruts as they ever were in the Great Society that banished poverty forever.
The Republicans, so far, aren't buying Son of Bailout, but with Republicans you never know. No change there, either. They're insisting that nothing short of a complete overhaul, eliminating all the wasteful dreamy-eyed bits, will persuade Republican senators to stand up straight and do their duty. This is the test of Mr. Obama's oft-told tale of his determination to restore "a bipartisan spirit" to the business of Washington, where Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative, male and female, will live only by the Great Obama Nonpartisan Do-Right Rule: "Do it our way lest we do it all over you."
"I think it may be time," says Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, "for the president to kind of get ahold of these Democrats in the Senate and the House, who have rather significant majorities, and shake them a little bit and say, 'Look, let's do this the right way.' I can't believe that the president isn't embarrassed about the products that have been produced so far."
Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second Republican banana in the Senate, was blunt, too: "When I say start from scratch, what I mean is that the basic approach of this bill, we believe, is wrong." The "basic approach" of the House bill, which earned no Republican votes, would cost $819 billion; the Senate version, which might get a few Republican votes because some Republican senators came all the way to Washington just to sound retreat, would cost $900 billion, and counting. Hey, it's only your money, and it might work.
Everyone agrees that the condition of the economy is grave, the hour late and somebody has to do something. But not "something" even if it's wrong. The president seems to understand that the responsibility for the "something wrong" will be his, particularly if it's medicine with a Democratic label and the recession falls into the Hoover-like depression we were told could never happen again. Presidents get the credit, but presidents get the blame. "Life," in JFK's memorable proverb for politics, "is unfair." Not even Barack Obama can change that
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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