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May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review April 30, 2007 / 12 Iyar 5767

Dancing with the Dems

By Clarence Page


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Watching a presidential debate in the video age is a lot like watching a stock car race: Everyone says they're watching in order to learn something, when in fact they're waiting to see someone screw up in a spectacular way.


None of the eight Democrats in the first televised presidential debate of the 2008 race managed to destroy themselves. The frontrunners, in order of their standing in the polls, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, played it safe by avoiding direct confrontations with each other. The only ones who didn't play it safe were the long shots Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska. They had nothing to lose and therefore with refreshing shoot-from-the-lip candor said what they really think.


Kucinich, holding on to the left tip of the party's left wing, sounded his proud call for Vice President Cheney's impeachment. He was joined in his position by exactly none of the other candidates. His call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq found company with his fellow long shot, Gravel, whose prospects can be measured by the legions who responded to the mention of his name, as I did, with "Who's he?"


Yet he provided valuable comic relief and captured the tone of the evening when moderator Brian Williams of NBC asked Gravel why anyone should take his campaign seriously. He compared joining the race to his early days in the Senate. "You know the first time you get there you're all excited — 'My God, how did I ever get here?' " he said. "And then, about six months later, you say, 'How the hell did the rest of them get here?' "


That's how I felt, as an impatient viewer, about every one of the eight who was not Clinton, Obama or Edwards. This was the first time for voters to compare the three frontrunners on the same stage, and I wanted to see them have at each other. That would be a real debate, which is precisely what candidates have tried to avoid having in the TV age. Too many opportunities for a car wreck.


Instead, the "second-tier" candidates, as the political commentators pundits call them because it sounds nicer than "also-rans," got a valuable opportunity to share the spotlight with the frontrunners. Beyond looking good and sounding smart, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico accomplished little more than to enhance their chances to be somebody's running mate.


That's because the frontrunners performed for the cameras like seasoned veterans of "American Idol" or "Dancing with the Stars." They strengthened their standing by hitting their marks and not tripping up. You could have called this show "Dancing with the Dems."


A particularly revealing example came after Williams fired a hypothetical zinger as to how each would respond after a catastrophic al-Qaida attack in two cities. Clinton responded like she's been thinking about that hypothetical for a while, as one would hope she has been. "I think a president must move as swiftly as is prudent to retaliate," she said. Once we determine who was behind the attack and what nations might have given material aid to the attackers, "I believe we should quickly respond," she said.


By contrast, Obama's directed his first words toward the need for a strong response by emergency teams and how a lack of that strong response spelled disaster for victims of Hurricane Katrina. I am sure that response played well to members of the Democratic base who care about taking care of the needy, but the question was about national defense. In a moment that called for a blood-stirring vow to avenge America against all attackers, he seemed to change the subject.


Fortunately for Obama and others who are vying to beat Clinton, this is only the first debate. As a warm-up, it served the frontrunners well. The long shot candidates made them look like moderates, which plays well with swing voters. Clinton sounded strong, knowledgeable and confident enough to restore many of those who want to vote for her but wonder whether she can win. Obama showed he could hold his own with the other contenders while he refines his policies and programs.


Edwards, who has staked out the most a detailed position on health care, showed his experience, too. If Obama or Hillary falter, he's waiting to move up. So far, the frontrunners haven't done much to hurt themselves. But it's early. Give them time.

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