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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
June 10, 2004
/ 21 Sivan, 5764
Why Reagan's legacy tops Roosevelt's
By
Tony Snow
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
The big story in Washington this week – the only story, for all intents and purposes – is that Ronald Reagan, after a long and withering struggle with Alzheimer’s and a longer and glorious life as the greatest leader of the 20th Century – died Saturday at the age of 93.
Many obituaries place him on equal footing with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but Reagan deserves to stand alone atop the podium. Consider the men’s different records and approaches.
Roosevelt inherited an economy just plunging into recession and recommended a “cure” that didn’t work – larger government, make-work projects, etc. (I will not rehearse the economic data that undergird my claim; suffice it to say that Roosevelt was more effective in rallying the nation through rhetoric than he was in reviving the economy through Keynesian “stimulus.”) World War II did what the New Deal could not: It fueled an economic and national revival.
FDR also practiced considerable legislative chicanery. His economic policies bore little resemblance to the program he promised on the stump – and he often did things he had promised as a candidate never to do.
When it came to fighting a war, Roosevelt entered the fray when it was politically uncontroversial, not when it was obviously necessary. He didn’t issue a call to arms when German u-boats sank American ships on the high seas. He moved only when Pearl Harbor created public rage sufficient to overcome America’s pacifist/isolationist leanings.
Finally, Roosevelt was eloquent, but not especially warm. Some of his speeches are a wonder to this day, and his fireside chats pioneered new terrain in establishing a link between a chief executive and the vast American public. Nevertheless, he seemed at times distant, almost regal. Despite these cavils, he was a very great man.
Reagan enjoys several slight advantages over his one-time hero. First, he governed according to the blueprints he presented to the electorate. His tax cuts delivered the economic growth he promised and the gusher of federal revenue he predicted. (Congress, of course, spent at an even more dizzying pace.) The Kemp-Roth tax cuts revived a moribund economy and revolutionized economic theory.
He also risked censure by promoting a foreign policy that scandalized the diplomatic establishment – one that aimed at the seemingly impossible goal of crushing communism. Again, his instincts proved wiser than professorial prejudices. Reagan strengthened the American military, used diplomacy to persuade wavering European allies to place new nuclear weapons on their soil, and promoted relentlessly the ideal of freedom.
This last mission may have been the most important. Like America’s founders, he regarded liberty and virtue as inseparable elements of one another: no liberty without virtue and no virtue without liberty. He also believed liberty/virtue would triumph over tyranny/evil. He was optimistic, and he was right. Reagan’s words didn’t merely inspire people laboring under communist subjugation. They made captive nations think, and dream – and act.
Unlike Roosevelt, Reagan had to persuade a wary nation that it was at war and that the enemy meant business. Jimmy Carter warned against “and inordinate fear of communism,” and Reagan’s detractors accused him of courting an apocalyptic nuclear exchange. But Reagan understood the conflict against communism as a battle between good and evil, and he was right.
Finally, Reagan forged a more direct personal relationship with the electorate than any modern president. He told jokes, shared stories, spun tales – and in the process made big, bold truths seem comfortable and comforting.
While visionaries usually stand alone on their soapboxes, thundering with aloof passion, Reagan talked like everyone’s best buddy – the national guy-next-door. He bypassed the national media because the press corps was too conventional and timid to appreciate his then-radical views, and talked directly to the public – a practice that infuriated the press and thrilled the vast majority of Americans.
To summarize: Reagan completed the two great projects started by Roosevelt – the struggle against fascism and socialism, and the quest for an economic policy that would unleash the enterprise and enthusiasm of the American public. And that’s why I think he stands alone among the 20th century’s great American leaders.
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© 2004, Tony Snow
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