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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 Oct. 13, 2009 / 25 Tishrei 5770

Dancin' DeLay

By Cheri Jacobus



http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Come on — admit it. You've been watching. Secretly. Perhaps just a little bit embarrassed as you close the shades so the neighbors don't see what you're tuning in to as you settle in with your popcorn in front of the TV. It's all just too good to miss. Maybe you even TiVo it.


Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has been competing on season 9 of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and not totally sucking at this thing, as so many had assumed and perhaps even hoped. In fact, he's charming, funny (on purpose, mostly and surprisingly), and seems to be having the time of his life. He's even — dare I say it — sorta graceful!


I guess there really is life after politics. It's also a relatively safe bet there are at least a handful of members of Congress who are a bit jealous.


After all, Tom DeLay looked to be having a heck of a lot more fun than most elected officials in Washington these days. There are likely a few who are angered he isn't living the gloomy post-congressional existence members dread may lie in their own futures with their glory days in Congress in the rearview mirror. In some ways, DeLay was putting his finger in the eye of the congressional life he left behind, and those still fanning the flames of his legal troubles.


But where many head to K Street or return home to their pre-congressional careers, Tom DeLay, a former exterminator, chose a pretty interesting gig for his next phase of life.


At age 62, DeLay is no spring chicken, but hardly ready to be put out to pasture, either, as he has proven to the world these past few weeks. Other men his age may have a few aches and pains to complain about, mostly the usual stuff that accompanies growing older. The Hammer, as he was known in Congress, now boasts an athlete's injury with a couple of stress fractures in his feet — the kind that often plagues runners, gymnasts and, yes, dancers. In a way, it's a badge of honor.


Unfortunately, the injuries have sidelined him, forcing him out of the competition, but with good luck and an even better agent, maybe into lucrative product endorsements.


On Monday night DeLay was rather politically incorrect after dancing his samba while facing the judges alongside his dance partner, Cheryl Burke. Given the opportunity to milk his injuries, as some contestants have done in the past with supreme drama, when asked how he was able to pull it off, how did he manage to do it, and how, by the way, was he feeling after a rigorous performance, which show producers and doctors advised against, he declined to take the bait. He simply said, "I'm fine." I guess he figured he would either win or lose this thing on merit and talent (or lack thereof), but not on pity. Not on your life. Not the Hammer. And I don't pity him. I kind of admire him.


If nothing else, Mr. DeLay's shimmies, wiggles and glides across the dance floor provide him with one of the more interesting Wikipedia entries of modern politicians, along with those other items. DeLay left Congress under a cloud. While not implicated personally, two of his staffers were convicted in the Jack Abramoff scandal. DeLay himself was charged with criminal violations of Texas campaign finance laws, plus money laundering. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, has yet to bring the case before a jury, more than four years after the indictments. DeLay pleaded not guilty, and one count on election law violations was dropped. Earle is not seeking reelection.


Tom DeLay has been productive since exiting Congress. He's written a book. He and his wife have been working on their Texas-based foster care center. And then there's that dancing.


With Tom DeLay now but a fading memory on "Dancing With the Stars," I've decided to root for the one whose smiling face graced my bedroom walls from dozens of Tiger Beat magazine photos when I was a young girl. In the end, I think I always knew my heart really still belonged to Donny Osmond. (Sorry, Tom.)


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

To comment, please click here.


JWR contributor Cheri Jacobus, president of Capitol Strategies PR, has managed congressional campaigns, worked on Capitol Hill and is an adjunct professor at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. She is a columnist for The Hill and appears on CNN, MSNBC and FOX News as a GOP strategist.


Previously:

09/26/09: Paterson under the bus
09/14/09: Start over, Mr. President

© 2009, Cheri Jacobus

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