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February 13, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
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February 8, 2012
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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
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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
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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
July 16, 2008
/ 13 Tamuz 5768
Sophisticated politician proves to be one swift flip-flopper
By
Jonathan Gurwitz
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
About many things, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is spectacularly and self-righteously wrong.
But about his most famous parishioner of 20 years, he got it correct. In an April interview with Bill Moyers, Wright said Barack Obama "goes out as a politician and says what he has to say as a politician."
A few days later, he clarified the point at the National Press Club: "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls."
Remember Obama in his widely praised speech on race in Philadelphia in March? He said he could no more disown the Rev. Wright "imperfect as he may be" than he could disown the black community or his grandmother.
After Wright's comments with Moyers and at the National Press Club, it was a different story. Obama was all about disowning.
The irony is that Obama had for years neglected to disavow the demonstrably false statements of his pastor that were patently offensive to a broad swath of the American people. But when Wright spoke truthfully about an issue that could only be offensive to a thin-skinned politician, Obama kicked his spiritual mentor to the curb.
People are entitled to change their minds. And changing one's opinion in light of changing facts is a virtue. But if you're running for a position of political leadership not least the office of commander in chief the public is entitled to know why you've done so.
So what changes Barack Obama's mind? One month, Jeremiah Wright is an honored member of his African American Religious Leadership Committee. The next month, Obama said Wright "was presenting a worldview that contradicts who I am and what I stand for."
As an aspiring politician in Chicago in 1996, Obama staked out a position on a candidate questionnaire supporting legislation to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns. When the Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and after he had alienated people who cling to guns and religion Obama said the D.C. law "overshot the runway."
At the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's policy conference, Obama spoke clearly about his commitment to Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Days later he retracted that commitment, telling CNN's Fareed Zakaria that it was an example of "poor phrasing."
On the campaign trail, Obama pledged to filibuster a FISA bill that gave retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies. This month, he voted for a bill with precisely that provision, describing it as "a marked improvement over last year's Protect America Act."
Battling Hillary Clinton for votes in the Rust Belt, Obama denounced NAFTA as a devastating mistake. Questioned about his vilification of the trade pact in a Fortune interview after he secured the Democratic nomination, Obama struck a chord that sounded distinctly Wright-like: "Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified. Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself."
John McCain, to be sure, is also guilty. His campaign's essential problem, however, is lack of focus.
Obama, on the other hand, articulates his positions with perfect clarity to serve one political purpose then alters them to serve another. From faith-based initiatives to the public financing of campaigns and American flag lapel pins, Obama delivers change we can believe in. And anyone who has fallen for his promise to remove all combat forces from Iraq within 16 months should not be surprised if that promise changes, too.
Rev. Wright was right. Obama, despite his immense talent and intellect, is at base a conventional politician.
What is unconventional is how quickly and how drastically he has changed his positions on so many issues, and how so many people so caught up in the messianic aura of Obamamania were so gullible to believe he would do otherwise.
Note: In a recent column, I made reference to a moving photo that appeared on the front page of the New York Times. The Times' caption described a child who was allegedly injured in political violence by forces loyal to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The Times has subsequently issued a lengthy correction stating that the child's mother had exaggerated the extent of the injuries.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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JWR contributor Jonathan Gurwitz, a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, is a co-founder and twice served as Director General of the Future Leaders of the Alliance program at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. In 1986 he was placed on the Foreign Service Register of the U.S. State Department.
Jonathan Gurwitz Archives
© 2007, Jonathan Gurwitz
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