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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
April 19, 2011
/ 15 Nissan, 5771
Dead mules and the Big Sleep
By
Wesley Pruden
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Ours may be remembered as the era of the Big Sleep. Barack Obama and the Democrats lie comatose at the switch as the federal government continues to swell up like a dead mule in the July sunshine. Air traffic controllers doze off with airliners circling airports frantically trying to get landing instructions.
Joe Biden sleeps through the boss' forgettable speech about the economy, caught on camera with his chin against his chest, happily sawing hickory logs. A man sitting next to him in the photograph is obviously wrestling with a protocol problem: how loud does a veep get to snore before he gets a sharp elbow in the ribs?
Presidents, on the other hand, can't take refuge in a nap in the attic where our lovable and slightly dotty uncles live. So when the most highly regarded authority on Wall Street downgrades its assessment of the U.S. credit outlook as "negative," the White House has to do better than to dismiss the assessment as partisan politics. "I don't think we should make too much out of that," Austen Goosbee, Mr. Obama's top economist, says. "What Standard and Poor's is doing is making a political judgment and it is one that we don't agree with."
Presidents always have trouble with bad news, and they've never figured out what to do with veeps, sleeping or otherwise. John Adams called the vice presidency "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." When the Whigs approached Daniel Webster about running as Zachary Taylor's running mate in 1848, he declined: "I do not intend to be buried until I am dead." John Nance Garner, FDR's first vice president, famously described the job as "not worth a pitcher of warm spit." Harry S Truman, who had been kept in the dark about everything, including the atomic bomb and how evil Joseph Stalin really was, said the only duties a veep has are to "go to weddings and funerals." Indeed, the only arguments Joe Biden and the missus ever have is at the breakfast table, over who gets the first look at the obituary page.
Thomas Marshall, who was Woodrow Wilson's vice president and is best known for his observation that "what this country needs is a good nickel cigar," was fond of recalling the story of two brothers he knew back home in Indiana. "One went away to sea, the other was elected vice president of the United States, and nothing was heard of either one of them again." That's not the president's problem with good ol' Joe. He is heard from early and often, like a conscientious voter in Chicago.
Good ol' Joe represents Malaprop City, easily forgiven by the rest of us because so many of us hail from there, too. He famously greeted Chuck Graham, a state senator, at a rally in Missouri with a bluff and hearty: "Stand up, Chuck. Let 'em see ya." When Chuck didn't stand up the veep insisted again, only to discover that Chuck was sitting in a wheelchair. "Oh, God love ya," the veep said. "What am I talking about?"
Who knew? Facts often confuse good ol' Joe. In a campaign interview he recalled that after the 1929 crash on Wall Street President Roosevelt went on television to reassure the nation that everything was going to be OK. However, and it was a big however, Herbert Hoover was the president in 1929 and television was only a distant gleam in the eye of its inventors. The politicians were still trying to master radio in 1929 (and FDR famously did, half a decade later).
It doesn't matter whether Mr. Obama and his wise men, so called, agree with S&P. Like it or not, the highly regarded S&P credit assessment is out there, and when Wall Street talks a lot of money can walk. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the Republican majority leader in the House, calls the S&P assessment "a wake-up call" for those who want to raise the U.S. debt limit without "meaningful fiscal reforms that immediately reduce federal spending and stop our nation from digging itself further into debt."
Once upon a time a White House could console itself that such jeremiads were only aimed at economists and Washington policy wonks. Ordinary Americans were more interested in baseball, celebrity scandals and the latest politician shot down by the Gaffe Patrol. But the public is fully awake now, with neither appetite nor tolerance for drowsy addicts of the Big Sleep.
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 emeritus of The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
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