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Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Feb. 12, 2008 / 6 Adar I 5768

Some Pieces of Our Minds

By Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | In all of the thousands of photographs of Hillary on the campaign trail, she always appears wearing trousers — not even one photograph of her wearing a skirt. Not a peep on the subject from any commentator or member of the media. Yet, if on a particularly steamy day campaigning in Florida or Georgia, Senator McCain wore a skirt, it would be the major story on every media outlet. Is this fair?


There was, rightfully, outrage when an MSNBC commentator referred to Mrs. Clinton as "pimping" out her daughter. The comment was disgusting beyond disgusting, but the point attempted to be made, while foul in its expression, might be valid in its underlying concept. The exploitative use of a particular person in a way that connects that individual's persona to a cause where that person's views or expertise is unilluminating or irrelevant on the issues, is worthy of note, if done so in an appropriate manner (as opposed to what was done on MSNBC). Chelsea Clinton was paraded about not because of anything she could offer by way of sagacity in foreign or domestic affairs. Let us be frank: she was on the tour because it pointed out Hillary's non-robotic side — that she also is a mother — something that hopefully would resonate with other mothers.


But to be fair: They all do this. The Edwards campaign exploited Mrs. Edwards' cancer. President Bush had his half-Latino Spanish-speaking nephew working his campaign in areas where his speaking Spanish and his ethnicity would help Mr. Bush. Celebrity endorsements are just another — perhaps more remote — manifestation of this same sort of campaign strategy.


All of this is fair game for comment if the commentary is couched in appropriate and non-offensive language. Worse would be a paralyzing fear that frightens us into silence — even when it involves legitimate observations.


Obama has run a brilliant campaign, is a mesmerizing speaker, and has captured the yearnings and hopes of millions of people. He has transcended, in his appeal, race, ethnicity, age and sex. But the fact is that he is experienced in running no enterprise and yet seeks to run the largest enterprise in the world. He is virtually inexperienced in government, domestic and certainly foreign policy — all of which should be at the heart of any president's expertise — and yet the same could really be said of Lincoln, and to some degree Franklin Roosevelt.


But somewhere, somehow, what Churchill referred to as "a little mouse of thought" must be considered: That is, if Obama were white, given his lack of experience, he would not be in the lead for his party's nomination for President of the United States. Commentators should have the intellectual honesty to note this, as well as the fact that it might be, in effect, a good thing. His candidacy, with all of his lack of experience stands as a stark contrast and home for those people who are fed up or, to be charitable, disenchanted with Washington's business-as-usual, and the usual group of subjects simply playing musical chairs in the running of this country. Credit must also be given him for not claiming experience when it does not really exist — which is precisely what Hillary Clinton has done. Her experience basically has been to sleep with the President (hardly a unique claim — at least for females under eighty years of age in the Washington area), become an enabler for the President to carry on with his extra-marital activities and, as all first ladies, arrange for the catering of State dinners — hardly fitting the job description for a President.


Nobody mentions the fact that senators, of both parties, run for president and ask us for our support, money, effort and loyalty. But yet these same senators do not have enough faith in their own cause to quit their day job and leave the Senate. Putting aside the fact that if they are running for president they cannot put in full time to do their jobs in the Senate (for which we pay them), why should we have faith in them and give them our money when they hedge their bets? Would not it make more sense to say to them, "When you show me you believe in yourself and your cause to the extent you give up your other job, then we will support you"? Is there any business where you can say to your boss, "Keep paying me my full salary for two years while I spend my time looking for another job"?

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