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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 22, 2009
/ 5 Teves 5770
Hurry up and slow down
By
Cheri Jacobus
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
As the House Democratic leadership happened to glance at the calendar and realize it was half past December, a mad rush ensued to get out of town and head home for the holidays. The House approved a $636 billion defense bill Wednesday to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and grant a 3.4 percent pay hike for military personnel.
Raising the debt ceiling to a level too scary to say out loud and a few other "rushed" items were also on the docket, such as extending the expiring Patriot Act for two months and diverting unused Wall Street bailout money to fund Democrats' favorite projects, rather than using it to reduce the deficit, as Republicans quite responsibly wished to do.
How these important and controversial items are addressed in such a last-minute flurry is disconcerting. Are there really not enough hours in the day, days in a week or weeks in a year for our elected officials to complete the work they are sent to Washington to perform? Is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) having difficulty managing her time? Are Democrats in over their heads?
Meanwhile, much to the chagrin of the House, the Senate appears to be a slow, deliberative locomotive chugging along its slow, deliberative track, with some senators taking their own sweet time deciding how to vote on the overhaul of one-sixth of our economy in dealing with healthcare reform and how it will affect literally every individual in the United States.
But Senate Sweet Time can be a good thing, indeed. Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-Okla.) being chided for insisting on the reading of a healthcare reform amendment on the Senate floor is interesting. Reading legislation is something I'd like to hear a bit more of by our elected officials certainly not on every proposal, but on the big ones.
Perhaps if they did this on a relatively regular basis, we could stop lamenting it as a "stunt" or "delay tactic" and begin instead to insist on it. If nothing else, it's a fine and informative way to kill time while thoughtful senators do what they need to do, and talk with whomever they need to talk with, in order to arrive at their final decisions.
And while President Barack Obama has conveyed to his Democratic senators that, politically, he really, really, really needs them to pass some version of healthcare reform and get to conference with the House quickly so that he and his teleprompter have something to brag about at next month's State of the Union address, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) has a slightly higher priority than Obama's need for a political feather in his cap.
A staunch anti-abortion stance is what the senator's constituents have come to know and expect, and he has been standing his ground, holding out for stricter anti-abortion language in the Senate health reform bill.
How inconvenient for the president.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with Nelson on the issue of abortion, it's hard not to admire him for sticking to his guns as a matter of principle. The same holds true for Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
Senate momentum is fleeting and sporadic, with a one-step-forward, two-steps-back path. Most Americans probably are pretty comfortable with that approach, even if it's accidental.
In fact, senators might actually be checking in with their constituents throughout this process, rather than with loudmouthed, moneyed activist organizations issuing threats. Or perhaps they are paying attention to the polls' indicating shrinking public support for Obama's healthcare reform and his rather alarming Medicare cuts.
Good.
This is supposed to be hard. If it's not hard, then they're not doing their jobs right.
If Obama and the Democrats have over-egged their pudding and the big waves of Obama Change are prevented from crashing all around us, most Americans will be relieved. Some will be disappointed. But overall, if Congress does its due diligence, it may actually gain an ounce or two of much-needed respect, along with a degree of trust, from the American people something that may come in mighty handy in 2010.
s
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:
11/24/09: Jury of peers
11/10/09: Czar light, czar bright
11/02/09: Reid's landmines
10/26/09: Public option for Congress
10/19/09: Big Brother wins
10/13/09: Dancin' DeLay
09/26/09: Paterson under the bus
09/14/09: Start over, Mr. President
© 2009, Cheri Jacobus
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