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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
Dec 13, 2011
/ 17 Kislev, 5772
Fluff, trivia and the real thing
By
Wesley Pruden
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If we can get through the last of the Pundit Primaries, the actual Republican voters can get on with the business of choosing the man to liberateAmerica from Barack Obama. But the path to presidential power is strewn with little rocks who imagine they're mighty boulders.
The "debates" -- it's an insult to the memory of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas to call them "debates" -- are actually only occasions for television moderators to parse, preen and demonstrate how little actual wit and learning you need to pretend to knowledge of public affairs. The"debates," with their emphasis on the unimportant, have taken the selection process away from the party without actually shaping either the race or the candidates.
The flickering television screen, which is all about illusion, is thus allowed to define what passes for reality. The candidates get their 15 minutes of fame, which isn't much, but it's all most of these worthies will ever see of presidential fame.
The television talking heads who parse the answers to their questions then decide who the winners and losers are. The candidates and their handlers retire to the Spin Room at the end of the"debate" to tell their version of who won and who lost. We've gone through 17 "debates" so far, withtwo more to go, and so far the voter has not had anything to say about what's actually on his mind. All he knows is what the pundits, pollsters and spinners tell him about what he's thinking.
The only actual winner so far is Barack Obama, from the perch in the catbird seat reserved for incumbents. He has set out his campaign theme unmolested, wheeling the big artillery pieces into position for the coming class war between "us" and "them." This is the kind of campaign we've never before had in America, setting the "rich" against the "poor," but it's the only way Mr. Obama can hope to win, and after that execute the grand scheme for making America an irreversible welfare state --Greece, Italy and Upper Slobbovia on the Potomac. The politics of resentment has never worked here, and maybe it won't this time. But Mr. Obama intends to give it the old college try.
It's a strategy of breathtaking cynicism. Mr. Obama is the favorite son of Wall Street, the love object of "the 1 percent" and the big-bucks contributors to his campaign. The Republican pretenders have let Mr. Obama get away with it, consumed as they are with trading barbs and jabs with each other, as if auditioning for a stand-up gig on Comedy Central. Fluff and trivia is all the talking heads can deal with without bringing on a migraine.
One press account of the most recent debate concluded that Newt Gingrich dominated the evening by keeping his ego in check, breathlessly reporting that he winked twice at someone in the audience "as if to signal 'no worries'." Two winks a victory makes. But the media highlight of the evening was Mitt Romney's playful offer to bet Rick Perry $10,000 that he hadn't written anything in his campaign book, "No Apologies," endorsing the individual mandate in Obamacare. An inspection of page 177 of his book revealed that Mr. Romney would have won the bet. But the offer was important only because it gave everyone the opportunity to tut-tut Mr. Romney for being so rich that he could afford to risk $10,000. The shame --the shame! -- of a candidate for president of the United States actually having ten grand in the bank when all about him are men, women and little bitty children trying to scrape up enough to buy a Big Mac.
Neither the candidates nor press and tube have done anything to make the Pundit Primary serious and consequential. The topwaters of the media -- so bereft of weight and consequence that they can't sink -- don't know how get serious, and pursue fluff and trifles because fluff, gaffes and trifles and are what they can understand.
Mr. Obama says "it doesn't really matter" who the Republicans nominate, so pleased is he with his wonderful self. He may be right, but not necessarily for the reasons he imagines. "Anybody but Obama" has led the prospective ticket in several public-opinion polls. Not good Obama news. But the Republicans themselves speak for the first time inIowa on Jan. 3, and then in quick succession comeNew Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. Then, and only then, we'll see who's on top, and who's not.
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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