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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
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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
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. 6, 2011
/ 2 Adar I, 5771
Striking out on Egypt and the weather
By
David Broder
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Having grown up in the Chicago area, rooting for years for the luckless Cubs and more recently for the hapless Washington Nationals, I feel particularly qualified to comment on the Obama administration's struggles to find a useful role to play in the crisis racking Egypt and the wider Arab world, let alone the blizzards in the Midwest and New England.
I know that sports analogies - as well as weather anecdotes from one's youth - are dangerous and sometimes misleading. But in this case, they are irresistible.
The simple fact is that there is little Washington can do about the impact of successive years of terrible winter weather or the upheaval in Cairo, which threatens America's interests in the Middle East.
Let's deal with the latter first. America has a long history in Egypt - too long a history. It goes back to King Farouk, a name that means nothing to many people these days. Nobody younger than my generation can summon a mental picture of the chain-smoking playboy emperor of Cairo. But he was our man for a time in the early 1950s, and the Egyptian people have neither forgotten nor forgiven.
We did business with Egypt because of our interest in the Suez Canal, the vital waterway where much of the world's oil supply is transported from the Persian Gulf. That interest was so great that President Dwight D. Eisenhower rebuffed two of our staunchest allies, Britain and France, when they decided to try to wrest control of the canal from Egypt.
This made us briefly popular with the people in Cairo, but it did not last. Subsequent leaders who supported us, culminating in Hosni Mubarak, have been increasingly unpopular with their own populace.
Which brings me back to my analogy.
As a Cubs fan and more recently a Nationals supporter, I am accustomed to spending Septembers reading about other teams' pursuit of the World Series. Whether it is the Red Sox fending off the Yankees, or the Giants five months ago trying to gain entry for the first time since the 1989 earthquake, those who share my history have learned that it's no fun watching other teams at such historic events.
You know that something big is happening and that it will inevitably affect you. But you don't know whom to root for, and ultimately you realize that events will unfold and you have almost no influence on the outcome.
That is the reality that confronts President Obama today. His hands are tied while Egypt erupts.
At first he expressed support and sympathy for the democratic forces filling the streets and appreciation for the Egyptian military holding fire. But when it became clear that Mubarak was on his way out, sooner or later, it dawned on everyone that the Muslim Brotherhood might seize on the resulting power vacuum and chaos to erect a hostile regime on the banks of the Suez Canal.
Whom do you root for in a situation like this?
I turn with relief to the weather. Washington was shut down by snow for a whole workweek last winter because we have no capacity to deal with even a few flakes. Aside from one nightmare evening recently, this year we have been spared. But seeing the photographs of hundreds of cars and buses stranded on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on Tuesday evening brought back memories of other blizzards that made it an adventure even to cross the Midway from Burton-Judson Courts to Cobb Hall for a history class at the University of Chicago.
I have so often driven Lake Shore Drive, either to its exit on Sheridan Road or partway north to Addison, where all roads lead to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, that I could feel for the drivers and passengers who could not reach the nearest exit ramp because of all the stalled vehicles. Lake Shore Drive, better known as the Outer Drive, terminated at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, whose pristine beach was rarely populated by its elderly residents. But it stopped traffic from going straight into Evanston, the home of the two most elitist institutions in the area, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and Northwestern University, even when there was no blizzard raging. On Tuesday you couldn't even get to the Edgewater.
There was nothing you could do about it. Just like the United States in Egypt.
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