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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
January 6, 2012
January 5, 2012
Tom A. Peter: Taliban talks: In administration's push to negotiate with terrorists, was a key hurdle overlooked?
Pete Spotts: Time cloaking: How scientists opened a hidden gap in time
Karen Kaplan: Teens aren't too old to boost their IQ, study finds
January 4, 2012
Scott Baldauf: Islamist terror group giving Christians living in north Nigeria days to flee
Howard LaFranchi : An accelerating covert war with Iran: Could it spiral into military action?
January 3, 2012
Tom A. Peter: Release several Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay; give them headquarters as confidence-building measure?
Elaine Woo: Thomas T. Johnson, L.A. judge who ruled that Holocaust was a fact, dies at 88
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 7, 2005
/ 4 Tishrei, 5766
Dubya the gambler will enjoy the last laugh
By
Tony Snow
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The Harriet Miers nomination has set off one
of the most delightful psychodramas in recent Washington history. President
Bush, the habitual iconoclast, shattered prevailing traditions and
expectations by asking his former personal attorney and now-White House
counsel to assume a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Elites hate the nomination. Miers, in contrast to the polymath
John Roberts, has little direct experience with constitutional law, and may
know less about cases and precedents than such potential inquisitors as
Sens. Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer. She hasn't spent time on the federal
bench. She hasn't written sage articles for prestigious law reviews. She has
little conventional pedigree and that drives the local elites nuts.
Conservative activists also count themselves unamused. Sen.
George Allen told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that of the 100 phone calls
his office got on the Meirs pick before noon last Monday, only three
supported the president's pick.
Many conservatives wanted the president to duke it out with
Senate Democrats by selecting a known and documented constitutional
originalist Judges Michael Luttig, Michael McConnell, Edith Jones and
Janice Rogers Brown topped many wish lists. The president, the thinking
went, not only could have established himself as the King of Capitol Hill,
he also could have killed the recent Democratic tactic of slurring and
smearing conservative judicial picks.
When critics yelped, White House aides panicked. For some
reason, they failed to anticipate the conservative blowback, and when
negative reviews began pouring in, presidential aides issued snarky retorts.
(One pro-Miers website dismissed all the nominee's detractors as "naval
gazers.")
The nomination reflects George Bush's most interesting and
unique tendencies. On the negative side, he has a habit of singing from the
Political Correctness hymnal. In the run-up to the Miers nomination, he paid
obeisance to the ideal of "diversity," which seems more appropriate for Ward
Churchill than from an ideological heir to Ronald Reagan.
In addition, the president hates to fire back at political foes.
As governor of Texas, he crafted an alliance with Democratic stalwart Bob
Bullock, creating an era of good feelings in Austin.
George Bush's desire to court the opposition explains his
refusal to veto a single measure as president, including the execrable
campaign-finance reform law. It also accounts for his meek surrender when
Democrats killed most of his faith-based initiatives, watered down his
attempts to overhaul public education, and slapped back his quest to reform
an unforgivably dishonest and shaky Social Security system.
On the positive side of the ledger, the Miers nomination
highlights George Bush's delicious disdain for the Beltway culture. One can
imagine his chortling with delight upon finding a way to irritate worthies
of both parties.
The president also stressed an unorthodox but admirable
criterion for selecting judges and other officials granted positions of high
trust and authority: He talked about Harriet Miers' character.
He's right. The Supreme Court possesses unparalleled power for
seducing those who don the black robes. No other officials in America can
issue irreversible decrees. What the Supremes say, goes.
Harriet Miers, the president suggested, won't get her head
turned by such blandishments because she has principles. She'll remain true
to conservative precepts and won't "grow" in office, regardless of what The
New York Times says about her.
No wonder the Miers nomination baffles seasoned political pros.
Miers is a cipher. People who purport to be good friends have a startling
tendency to recite Republican talking points. I have yet to find one who can
say, "I'll never forget the time Harriet (fill in a charming reminiscence
here)." It is as if the woman had walked through life without performing a
memorable act other than to crank out a dandy sweet-potato pie. But
associates also caution against misunderestimating the woman. She apparently
has made mincemeat of more than her share of doomsayers and detractors.
So now things get interesting. The president has stirred up a
lot of mischief, but Miers has to clean up the mess. The upcoming
confirmation hearings will determine her fate and the president's. If she
defies expectations, George Bush will look like a genius. If the Senate
rejects her nomination, his presidency will come effectively to an end.
That's just the sort of thing the poker-playing president
loves. George Bush possesses a gambler's daring and patience. He loves to
linger over a controversy until his adversaries fidget and sweat. His pleas
to "trust me" have the effect of dragging out the drama and imparting the
sense that when the Senate finally casts its votes, the guy from Midland
again will enjoy the last laugh.
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© 2005, Creators Syndicate, Inc
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