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Nov, 21, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Money matters?

Caroline B. Glick: Civilization walks the plank

Nov, 20, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Bronfman's blindness

The Kosher Gourmet By Linda Gassenheimer: Portobellos add a hearty flavor to pasta with pesto

Nov, 19, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Spread the wealth? Jewish tradition and income equality

Elliot B. Gertel: 'Mad Men': Tackling prejudices or reinforcing them?

Nov, 18, 2008

Dr. Debby Schwarz Hirschhorn: The End of the Age of Reason

Jonathan Tobin: Does Barack + Bibi = Disaster?

Nov, 17, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The End of the Age of Reason

Diana West: Gulling Americans into making terror legit?

Nov, 14, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: The Power of Spiritual Inertia

Caroline B. Glick: The perils ahead

Nov, 13, 2008

Stratfor Intelligence Briefing: How Bush and Obama together could change the Middle East dynamic

The Kosher Gourmet by JeanMarie Brownson: Sweet and savory, crispy and meltingly tender bestilla

Nov, 12, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Tyrannical Co-Workers

Michael Doyle: High Court to consider today donated monuments that may have religious messages in public parks

Nov, 11, 2008

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Will Obama stop government officials considering institutionalizing financial jihad?

Jonathan Tobin: They Will Decide Their Own Fate

Nov, 10, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: $8 billion, modern-day Tower of Babel being built?

Barry Rubin: A letter to the president-elect from a Middle East realist

Nov, 7, 2008

Rabbi Francis Nataf: Of Children and Immortality

Caroline B. Glick: Livni's Obama strategy

Nov, 6, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: How I tricked a classroom of apathetic students into grasping the fallacy of moral relativism

The Kosher Gourmet By Gina Kim: Tips for making the perfect soup --- includes recipes

Nov, 5, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Destitute Debtors

Bruce Weinstein: 'Religulos': Bad title,even worse movie

Nov, 4, 2008

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Treasury Dept. submits to Shariah law

Frida Ghitis: A surprise for Obama in the Middle East

Nov, 3, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: Who says Jews are Smart?

Jonathan Tobin: Was He Wrong About Everything?

Oct. 31, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Our Immutable Noble Essence

Caroline B. Glick: Running against Bush

Oct. 30, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: The End of the Special Relationship?

Steve Lipman: 'Kid Kosher' Gets A Title Shot

Oct. 29, 2008

Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: GET US THE TAPE THE L.A. TIMES REFUSES TO RELEASE, AND WE'LL GIVE YOU CASH!

Dr. Ari Korenblit: Making The Write Choice for President

Oct. 28, 2008

Mona Charen: Denial runs through American Jewry

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Sell-off to capitalism or sell-out to Islam?

Oct. 27, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Are tax deductions for charitable donations moral?

Jonathan Mark: The Mystery Of The Arab-American Vote

Oct. 24, 2008

'Why aren't all religious people vegetarians?': Response by Miriam Kosman

Caroline B. Glick: Testing Obama's mettle

Oct. 23, 2008

Daniel Pipes: Obama Would Fail Security Clearance

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A fast chicken dish with an Asian accent

Oct. 20, 2008

Gary Rosenblatt: Still One Torah

Jonathan Tobin: Government 'Gifts' Are Not Free

Oct. 17, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: Sukkos and the Great Meltdown

Caroline B. Glick: The disappearance of law

Oct. 16, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Copying DVDs: RIP OR RIPOFF?

Cal Thomas: Blaming the Jews (again)

March 22, 2007

J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !)

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

Jewish World Review Oct. 27, 2005 / 24 Tishrei, 5766

Bush on the edge

By Tony Blankley


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | President Bush is a lucky man. Seldom has a president found himself in more political trouble that he substantially has the power in his own hands to fix than does President Bush currently.

While the vagaries of the Iraq war are not likely to respond to any quick presidential actions, the president can promptly and dramatically reverse the growing alienation of his conservative base — both in Washington and around the country.

Those who claim that it is only Washington eggheads and activists who are disillusioned, misunderstand and underestimate the consequences of such Washington-based problems. The current Washington Republican negativity to President Bush is as a stone thrown into a lake — it will ripple outward until it causes waves on the distant shores of the heartland.

The problem is not merely with us obstreperous and self-important conservative columnists and pundits — though even our unloved tribe can cause measurable damage.

More importantly, the president is perilously close to duplicating the estrangement his father experienced from his congressional allies when G.H.W.Bush raised taxes in 1990. Just a year out from congressional elections, Republican congressmen and senators are in the process of making the practical judgment whether to distance themselves from the president to save their skins. I don't blame them. (After all, it's not as if he is currently championing their principles and policies domestically.)

If they decide in the affirmative, their constituents will hear criticisms rather than support of the president for the next 12 months. The most dangerous time for any politician is not when his opponents say rude things about him, but when his own partymen do. They will start out respectfully disagreeing, but will build to more flagrant rhetoric as their Democratic Party opponents start raising and spending more money and start rising in the polls.

The time for the president to bring his worried allies back into the fold is now — and bold action is required.

Of course no actions are without their dissents and downsides. But I believe four actions could rally the troops to a year of loyal and mostly principled partisan battle on behalf of their president.

First, withdraw the unfortunate nomination of Miss Miers. Not only is there almost no enthusiasm for her nomination, I have never seen as much outright hostility and even anger at an appointment from a president's own party. Replace her with a highly qualified, full-blooded, proven conservative nominee (any number of his appointments to the courts of appeal will do).

Then he can have a principled fight between conservatives and liberals (a debate that should break in his favor at least 60 percent to 40 percent nationally on the judicial issues), rather than the current idiotically unuseful fight between blind presidential loyalists and sighted presidential loyalists.

Second, he should delay pushing for guest worker law changes — and instead move full speed ahead with legislation and policies to secure the border. This must be more than symbolic actions and rhetoric. It should include serious proposals to dramatically render the borders non-porous.

It should include tens of thousands more border guards, sensor technology, structures and stiff (i.e. criminal prison terms) employer sanctions against hiring illegals. When, as now, Democratic governors and Hillary Clinton have flanked a Republican president to the right on secure borders, it is manifest that both principle and political sense is not being exercised in the White House.

Third, he should rally his base by fighting for serious budget cuts to offset the necessary increases in defense and disaster relief spending. While many congressional Republicans will not like this tough love, it will be good for them — and for the national fisc.

Fourth, political expediency requires him to get on the right side of gas prices. When the eye-popping third quarter oil company profits are announced — he must jawbone the oil executives to start re-investing that money. If he doesn't, Republicans in Congress will. Regretfully (though incorrectly), even a majority of conservatives and Republicans around the country use the word price-gouging to describe current conditions.

If the president were to make these four bold corrections, virtually his entire base would snap back to his side to do noble and fierce battle on his behalf. He would not only be substantially true to his party's principles, but he would move from about 40 percent to about 48 percent in the polls — a critical increase.

Oh, and one other thing. As I write this column, Washington is waiting "in hope or despair, depending on party affiliation — for the special prosecutor to announce his indictment decisions. I truly hope that none of the president's aides have done anything to deserve criminal indictment. Some of them are my friends.

But if any of their actions warrant criminal conviction, the president and his allies would be grievously ill-advised to minimize such criminal conduct or disparage the prosecutor. Perjury, if that is the charge, is a very serious felony. All the more so when committed by a person in high office.

Neither the president nor conservatives generally should raise the Clinton defense. Any Republican who measures his integrity by the standards of Bill Clinton (and his disreputable apologists) is unfit for public office.

If the worst happens, the president should make a clean break with such conduct — and such people. He has three years left in his office. He owes it both to himself and to the country to take such actions as to make those years highly ethical and productive. The world is too dangerous for anything less.

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.

Tony Blankley is editorial page editor of The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.


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