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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 Nov. 16, 2006 / 25 Mar-Cheshvan 5767

Future historians will be baffled: ‘They said they were going to destroy you; why didn't you do anything?’

By James Lileks


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Surely the Democratic victories brought long faces to the terrorist schemers: If the United States bolts out of Iraq as quickly as now seems possible, al-Qaida will be left without a plan for the occupation. They'd anticipated taking power in '08, after a protracted leeching of American resolve — but now?


Al-Qaida lacks the boots on the ground to perform the nationwide slaughter required to sunder a nascent democracy. It's one thing to ask your patrons for more bullets; it's quite another to request overnight delivery of the backhoes for mass graves. Must not show lack of foresight.


Heads will roll! More than usual, anyway.


Then again, disaster may not befall Iraq. It may suffer more of the targeted, telegenic chaos that makes for dandy CNN reports, but the nation might still be stabilized — if we reach out to new partners. And if you believe Tony Blair, those brand new pals would be Syria and Iran.


Yes, Blair's gone wobbly. Some sort of political bird flu has killed all the hawks and replaced them with creatures that mill around civilized capitals making cooing noises and fleeing in panic when someone toots a car horn.


Said the PM: "A major part of the answer to Iraq lies not in Iraq itself but outside it, in the whole of the region where the same forces are at work and where the roots of this global terrorism are to be found."


He has a point, but one might suggest that waging proxy war on the U.S. and the Iraqi government ought instead to be rewarded with a few Tomahawks in the summer homes of senior mullahs.


That, however, is the history of this war — half-measures, squandered momentum. One side carefully calibrates how much psychological distress may be exacted in interrogations, and the other calibrates the centrifuges that will make the nuclear bombs.


One small problem for Blair: Iran, according to the Telegraph newspaper, is actively involved in selecting the next batch of al-Qaida leaders. Put that together with another revelation from Britain: Al-Q is intensifying its efforts to assemble nuclear material — 2005 alone saw 16 thwarted attempts to smuggle plutonium and uranium, and we may presume the terrorists tried more than 16 times.


Negotiating with these cheery lads would be like sitting down with the Mafia to discuss the future of trash hauling, except that Tony Soprano doesn't peel off banknotes to fund suicide bombers. Tony wants to live. Our enemies think the Bada-Bing is in heaven.


Blair put his finger on something, though. Where should all the healing begin? Why, in the locus of all injustice, of course: "We should start with Israel/Palestine. That is the core."


The persistence of this delusion — that the capitulation of Israel will end the problem — cannot be explained. Somehow decent and rational people believe that indecent and irrational men will agree to forgo their hatreds for the mundane work of building a civil society.


Blair continued: "We should then make progress on Lebanon."


We should indeed. We should also cure cancer and invent cold-fusion hovercars and petition McDonald's to make Shamrock Shakes all year 'round; that doesn't mean any of it's likely.


This doesn't mean you can't talk. Behind-the-scenes chats with the mullahs to spell out consequences and requirements would be fine. But coming cap-in-hand looks weak, and the Iranians may well think that if you've doffed your hat, you won't need your head. Allow us to help you with that.


Future historians will be baffled: "They said they were going to destroy you; why didn't you do anything?"


Well, there was this politician who sent some naughty e-mails, and that seemed terribly important at the time. Some sixth-century Romans would probably understand; the rock in the sandal can be so vexatious, you forget all about the hordes massing on the plain.


But it's still dispiriting to see Blair wobble with such vigor. What's the saying? As the Anglosphere goes, so goes the Anglosphere.


Paging John Howard of Australia; Mr. Howard to the courtesy phone.

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 James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Comment by clicking here.

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