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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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
August 28, 2008
27 Menachem-Av 5768
The Dem-olition man
By
Michael Goodwin
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
DENVER — Dwight Eisenhower was speaking of war when he said: "Plans are everything -- before the battle is joined. Once it begins, plans are worthless."
But he might also have been speaking of the 2008 version of the Demolition Democrats.
The best-laid plan for a come-to-Jesus unity gathering here in the Rockies got off to a rocky start. Emotional though it was, the Ted Kennedy appearance Monday night never hit the crescendo organizers expected. And Michelle Obama's speech, while presenting an all-American portrait of the Obama family, drew decidedly mixed reviews otherwise.
It's not that there's a lack of energy among the delegates at the cavernous Pepsi Center. It's that much of it is being wasted on the blame game.
Pick an image of in-house fussin' and feudin' and it fits Dems like a glove. Circular firing squad, shootout in a lifeboat, Hatfields and McCoys, civil war.
The Dems came here to whip up the faithful against those evil Republicans, but they're spending an awful lot of bile on each other.
Bill and Hillary Clinton are, naturally, at the center of the discord. There is ample evidence to bolster the suspicion that neither would be heartbroken if Barack Obama lost to John McCain.
Yet their bold mischief would be made irrelevant if they were Obama's only problems. He has others, namely his own liberal background and thin resume, and the Clintons are exploiting the doubts about him that many Americans harbor.
All of which made Joe Biden's speech last night a key test of whether Obama can establish firm control over the convention and the party. While it is unusual to put such a burden on a running mate's speech, especially with Obama himself being such a gifted orator, the Clinton drama is raising the stakes on even lesser acts.
In a nutshell, Biden still has to persuade many Democrats that he, and not Hillary, deserved to be on the ticket. Frankly, it's still an open question, given the fact that her primary vote dwarfed Biden's. For many of her supporters, he got the spot through affirmative action for white men.
If the convention ends with significant grumbling that Obama goofed in his first and most important decision, the general election becomes an even-greater uphill battle.
Biden's challenge is complicated by timing. With Hillary speaking last night and Bill before him tonight, Biden will take the stage in a sea of Billary memories and emotions.
Can he tame them? Can he focus the energies back on McCain? Can he get the delegates, some of whom will have just had their cathartic moment of voting for Hillary, thinking of the future and not the past?
Equally important, can Biden avoid the gaffes and bombast that often taint his talent?
Those are not small challenges. Although the convention is a made-for-TV event, an infomercial for the Democratic product, it will fail on the small screen if the delegates in the hall are bored, distracted or unimpressed. Even phony energy, ramped up on cue, generally plays well on TV and is always preferable to no energy.
To get the adrenaline surging, expect Biden to become Joe the Butcher and serve up heaping slabs of red meat. Look for him to slice and dice the Bush years, tie McCain to every real failure and a host of imagined ones and to push every partisan button.
Although he will make continued efforts to "normalize" Obama as a mainstream American patriot, Biden's role as designated hit man against the GOP doesn't give him a lot of wiggle room. It's draw Bush and McCain blood, lots of it, or flop.
The slaughterhouse scenario won't be pretty, but it's the only way for Biden to make a real contribution toward uniting the party and proving he belongs on the ticket.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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