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July 2, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The hallmark of a person

Abe Novick: Up, up, and aliya

July 1, 2009

Rabbi Avi Shafran: The Road Taken

The Kosher Gourmet by Marialisa Calta: Get into the holiday spirit with these Star-Spangled desserts

June 30, 2009

Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg: What makes a great parent?

Caroline B. Glick: Ideologue-in-Chief

June 29, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Beware of 'Caveat Emptor'

Steven Emerson: ACLU pushing for more money for Hamas

June 26, 2009

Rabbi Yoni Posnick: Learn the secret to a healthy marriage from a scriptural villain

Caroline B. Glick: Barack Obama vs. International Law

June 25, 2009

Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf: The Absurd Power of Truth

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 24, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Advancement of technology is a wake-up call for humanity

The Kosher Gourmet by Andrea Weigl: Summer on a stick: Making frozen treats can be easy, creative and fun

June 23, 2009

Martin M. Bodek: 'On Surnames': And so, We Begin

Caroline B. Glick: The Obama Effect

June 22, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Working for a corrupt firm

N. Richard Greenfield : Where are American Jews?

June 19, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Emotion v. intellect

Caroline B. Glick: Israel's rare opportunity

June 18, 2009

Jonathan Rosenblum: Sometimes it is more essential to define the nature of evil than good

Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkle's strip: Everything's Relative

June 17, 2009

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Language of Confusion

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Nothing pleases Dad more than a thick, juicy onion-smothered steak. Add home-Baked Potato Chips and …

June 16, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Career v. Careersism

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's losing streak and Israel

Richard Z. Chesnoff: ‘Palestinians’: Never Missing an Opportunity …

June 15, 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: How Judea and Samaria can become 'Palestine'

Daniel Pipes: Where Netanyahu's speech failed

June 12, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Some big thoughts about not acting so big

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's High Commissioner

June 11, 2009

Victor Davis Hanson: Our historically challenged President

Mitch Albom: Beware the True Believers

Lewis Grossberger: What we learn from the new Hitler photos

June 10, 2009

Mort Zuckerman: What Obama and his advisors won't -- or refuse to -- grasp about Israel and the Muslim world

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky Lotsa pasta: Tips, techniques and (amazing) taste

June 9, 2009

Anne Bayefsky: Obama's stunning offense to Israel and the Jewish people

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: America's first Muslim president?

June 8, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Merchant must take responsibility for careless shopper?

Mark Steyn: A superpower that feeds on mediocrity cannot survive for long on leftovers from the past

Richard Z. Chesnoff: How do you say 'kumbaya' in Arabic?

June 5, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: In quest of spirituality

Caroline B. Glick: Obama's Arabian dreams

Charles Krauthammer: The Settlements Myth

June 4, 2009

Paul Greenberg: The War Comes to Little Rock

The Kosher Gourmet by Judy Hevrdejs: Splash it on! Tap your inner jazz musician and improvise when stirring up a vinaigrette

June 3, 2009

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. Should terrible teacher be exposed?

Jonathan Rosenblum: The Israel Lobby: Missing in Action

June 2, 2009

Dennis Prager: The Speech President Obama Won't Dare Give in Egypt

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Pressure on Israel raises war risk

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Feb. 27, 2006 / 29 Shevat, 5766

Why so long since a member of Congress was elected president?

By Peter A. Brown


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | It's been almost a half century since a member of Congress was elected president, although not for any lack of trying.


The conventional wisdom is that John F. Kennedy in 1960 was the last one because voters perceive a lack of executive experience needed to govern among congressional White House aspirants.


That may be the case, but there is another possible explanation worth considering which may be at work as public opinion begins to shift on President Bush's electronic surveillance program and could be in the mix depending on how the port security issue plays out:


Simply put, outside the Beltway, Congress — and we are talking about members of both parties — is seen as a bunch of unethical windbags who talk, accomplish very little and reflect parochial, rather than national, interests.


Hence, those who inhabit those halls begin with a public perception that makes it very difficult to see them as strong and decisive, which is the most important goal of every campaign for the Oval Office.


Perhaps that explains the storm of criticism from Capitol Hill of the Bush administration's approval of a deal that would allow a Dubai company to operate six U.S. ports. Lawmakers of both parties have sought to position themselves as more concerned about potential national security risks than the president.


When the electronic surveillance story months ago, the smart money predicted it would drive down George W. Bush's poll numbers even further. And indeed that occurred, although his job approval has bottomed in the low 40s, not a great place for a politician to be.


Yet, there are signs that public opinion about Bush's decision to establish the program seems to be gradually shifting the White House way, even as his overall standing with the American people remains unchanged.


An AP-Ipsos poll in February found the country basically evenly split on the issue, whereas in January Americans disapproved of it by a 14-point margin.


Probably not coincidentally, the chances of full congressional hearings into the surveillance program appear waning while it is worth remembering that despite the president's low ratings, his numbers are better than those for Congress.


The White House clearly understands all this and gets high marks for moving things its way. It has unleashed an offensive to paint the electronic surveillance program as more than just a matter of national security.


Bush &Co. believe that when most Americans see the program as the president acting to deal with a threat to their life and limb as opposed to critics talking about the need to protect civil liberties, the issue goes their way.


To be sure, this is not a strictly partisan issue. There are many Republicans in Congress complaining about the president abusing his power in setting up the domestic wiretap program, which he authorized shortly after the 9/11 attacks.


That may well be the case, but there is a pattern here that is worth considering, especially by those who want to emulate JFK.


Look at the Patriot Act, which was passed with bipartisan support following 9/11, but became a partisan issue during the 2004 Democratic presidential contest. Virtually all the Democratic candidates assailed it in one way or another for endangering Americans' civil liberties because that view was popular among primary voters.


But during that general election campaign Bush stumped for its renewal and John Kerry dropped the issue, Kerry understood that among the mass of voters the notion of a president protecting national security overrides most objections.


Then, in December 2005, congressional Democrats and a few Republicans were able to stall its renewal, forcing the president to begin another public relations offensive on the issue.


Again, it worked and Congress is about to approve a Patriot Act reauthorization without any major changes White House opposed. "Too many Democrats have folded" so the president "can't use this issue to paint them as 'soft' on terrorism," acknowledged Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.


It's still not completely clear how the electronic surveillance issue or the port security issues will play out. But, as we begin the foreplay of the 2008 presidential mating ritual, all concerned might want to think about why it has been so long since one of their own has moved their office down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Peter A. Brown is assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute and a former editorial-page columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. Comment by clicking here.

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