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Sept. 5, 2008

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: What does 'doing the right thing' entail?

Caroline B. Glick: The master strategist

Sept. 4, 2008

Ron Kampeas: Biden, Palin take lead in clash on Mideast issues

Bruce Dancis: With humor as their weapon, the Three Stooges took on Hitler

Sept. 3, 2008

Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg: Productive school years don't just happen

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Quick lamb stew serves up flavors of India

Sept. 2, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Costly Advice

Caroline B. Glick: Calling Israel's bluff

JWisdom: Wandering in Wonder by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

August 29, 2008

Rabbi Berel Wein: 20/20 sightlessness

Caroline B. Glick: When history is not repeated

JWisdom: Blessed or Cursed: It's Really Up to You by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

August 28, 2008

Steve Lipman: A Comeback for the 'Jewish Jordan'

Jeffrey Weiss: Researcher reports 'intriguing' diabetes breakthrough

August 27, 2008

Rabbi Zecharya Greenwald: Removing the perfectionist's mask

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Nunn: Summer harvest linguine

JWisdom:: The Missing Link in Spiritual Life by Rabbi David Aaron

August 26, 2008

Yaffa Ganz: Grandma gets lessons in staying cool

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: The Dems' 'soft' jihadist

JWisdom:: Today: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Plague of indifference

August 25, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q: A friend is bearing a silly grudge from a supposed wrong. What recourse do I have?

Daniel Pipes: Barack Obama through Muslim Eyes

JWisdom:: The knowledge you need to overcome your insecurities by Malka Schulman

August 22, 2008

Rabbi Berel Wein: Life's essential ingredient

Caroline B. Glick: Dominos anyone?

JWisdom:: Actually, Do Sweat the Small Stuff! by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

August 21, 2008

Today in Biblical History by Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Popularization of Kabbalah: 20 Menachem-Av 1558 CE

Jonathan Rosenblum: Lessons from the Beyond

JWisdom: : The Olympian within is rooting for you -- yes, you! –- to go for the gold

August 20, 2008

Jonathan Tobin: Misleading Platform Platitudes

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing

JWisdom: The Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith: America's Defense of the Jews --- Until WWII by Rabbi Nosson Scherman

August 19, 2008

Dennis Prager: If the Almighty doesn't exist

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Obama's Islamist problem has nothing to do with his upbringing

JWisdom: Think your life is messed up? by Rabbi David Aaron

August 18, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Business with Friends

Diana West: Roars About Russia, Bare Whispers About Islam

JWisdom: Relationship agony: The real cause by Malka Schulman

August 15, 2008

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: To love the Divine

Caroline B. Glick: Georgia, Israel, and the nature of man

JWisdom: The Truly Righteous Don't Demand Entitlements by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

August 14, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Confessions of broken spirit

Libby Lazewnik: The Numbers Game

JWisdom: Six Questions You'll Be Asked in Heaven? - Uh - Let's Just Take One for Now! by Gavriel Aryeh Sanders

August 13, 2008

Jonathan Tobin: Georgia should be on their minds

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Go Greek: Pair flavorful lamb kebabs with a hearty salad

JWisdom: Human hybrids aren't science fiction by Rabbi David Aaron

August 12, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Bless us

Daniel Pipes: The West's Islamist Infiltrators

JWisdom: From Sadness to Gladness: The Route from Tisha b'Av to Rosh Hashana by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

August 11, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: A Jewish view on fair pricing

Caroline B. Glick: Ignoring failure in Gaza

JWisdom: 'Communication' Is Not The Answer! by Malka Schulman

August 7, 2008

Rabbi David Gutterman: A Continuing Story With a Sustaining Goal

Rabbi Berel Wein: Mourning and morning

JWisdom: Yes, we are still in exile by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

August 6, 2008

David Ashenfelter: Government made military engineer's life a living hell because of his faith, Defense Department report documents

Jonathan Tobin: Speak the Truth; Defeat the Lies

JWisdom: Jewish Spirituality: Fusion or Confusion? by Rabbi David Aaron

August 5, 2008

Chris Leppek: Church/state wall beginning to crumble?

Paul Greenberg: Exit Olmert (no encore, please)

JWisdom: Serenity: Make the commitment by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin (Read by Gavriel Sanders)

August 4, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Am I taking advantage of another's psychological quirk?

Andrew Silow-Carroll: A black and a Jew walk into the White House…

JWisdom: The Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith: Edward R. Morrow visits the ‘living dead’ by Rabbi Nosson Scherman

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. 1, 2007 / 20 Mar-Cheshvan 5768

‘Law and Order’ actor without a script

By Debra J. Saunders

Debra J. Saunders
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Political reportage works like junior high cliques. The pack comes up with labels for all the candidates — except that in place of jock, cheerleader and nerd, we have a broader list. As in: Most popular (frontrunners), maverick, wonk, nut, waffler, panderer and last, but not least, hopeless.


Fred Thompson, who was in San Francisco Wednesday, is the designated hopeless guy who nonetheless has a slot in the coveted four-man race within the eight-man race for the Republican presidential nomination. The four really hopeless guys are either so hopeless it's not worth writing about them — U.S. Reps. Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter — or, in Gov. Mike Huckabee's case, hopeless because pundits who would never vote in a GOP primary think he should be at the top.


Thompson, on the other hand, is hopeless because he is not really a great candidate. He is lazy. Or he lacks energy. Some say he doesn't answer questions — as if the other candidates do.


On Wednesday, Thompson did answer questions. He is against issuing drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. When asked about civil unions and domestic partnerships, Thompson said, "I do not think that they're a good idea," but recognizes states' right to decide.


Thompson would permit the waterboarding of suspected terrorists, if informed intelligence agents thought it would save lives. "The measures will always meet the circumstances," he explained.


When I asked him how politics had changed since he chaired the 1997 Senate Government Affairs Committee hearings that investigated fund-raising abuses by the Clinton White House and GOP operatives, he said that "many people took the Fifth Amendment, many people fled the country, several people were convicted."


When he sees the "bundling of large sums of money from mysterious sources" for the Hillary Clinton campaign — no doubt Thompson was referring to a Los Angeles Times story about immigrant Chinatown dishwashers and service workers who wrote $1,000 and 2,000 checks for Clinton's campaign — he added that it brings back "some very unfond memories."


While no one asked Thompson about entitlement reform, he does stand out in calling attention to the looming Social Security and Medicare crises. Thompson even brought up the subject at a GOP candidates' debate. Rather than simply announcing that he does not want to raise taxes to deal with the problem — the easy way out — Thompson suggests curbing Social Security increases by tying cost-of-living hikes to inflation, not wage growth. This is a path to solvency, according to the Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute's Michael Tanner.


State Sen. Tom McClintock — the Californian conservative's conservative — announced at a Tuesday press conference in Sacramento that he will chair Thompson's California campaign. It says something — although I'm not sure what — that McClintock had not met Thompson until the day of the announcement.


"I've followed his career for many years," McClintock told me afterward. "He was the only one of the top tier of Republican candidates who didn't have to go through a political epiphany the day before he announced his candidacy." McClintock also compared Thompson with President Ronald Reagan — and not just because both Republicans were actors.


Team Thompson likes the Reagan comparison. They want voters to remember that critics used to carp at Reagan's naps and work hours, too. But I doubt that Republicans are anxious for a nominee who isn't willing to give every waking minute to win the election.


As one erstwhile Thompson fan, who attended the Values Voters summit in Washington, D.C., told me, "I was so angry at his performance that I voted for John McCain."

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© 2007, Creators Syndicate

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