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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
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
May 27, 2009
/ 4 Sivan 5769
Rare Sighting: Reason in the Senate
By
Paul Greenberg
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Will miracles never cease? Reason raised its seldom-seen head last week in of all places, the United States Senate.
In an extraordinary show of near-unanimity, not to mention an extraordinary show of common sense, the senators voted 90 to 6 against funds to close the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
It was a prudent decision. Gitmo is now home to hundreds of (a) the most dangerous characters on Earth, (b) the most fanatical America-haters on Earth, and (c) both. The prison camp, now Red Cross-approved, provides medical attention, room and board, due process, recreation facilities, prayer calls and a strictly halal diet, and many another amenity for our guests. Indeed, Guantanamo has become a kind of model of its kind. Why close it without a clear alternative, or close it at all?
That's the question confronting Barack Obama, who has vowed to shut down the place essentially for Public Relations reasons. Our enemies don't like it. And they've made Guantanamo an effective theme of their all too convincing rhetoric, just as Barack Obama did during his presidential campaign.
And yet, once in office and given the kind of information he should have taken seriously even before he was sworn in, our president has rethought some of his glib pronouncements during the campaign. Especially about threats to the national security.
For instance, Mr. Obama now recognizes that the military commissions he used to denounce as a "legal black hole" have a long and honorable history, and have proven the best way to handle some of these bad actors. (They're not officially "illegal combatants" any more. Just as, according to the administration's newspeak, the war on terror the president is pursuing may no longer be referred to by that name.)
Mr. Obama also has changed his mind about releasing photos of prisoners being abused in Iraq and Afghanistan, having come to understand what a field day our enemies would have with them even if the abuse they depict has already been the subject, quite properly, of military justice. Good for him. Nobody ever mistook Barack Obama for a slow learner. He's not scared by that hobgoblin of little minds, a foolish consistency.
But the president and commander-in-chief has yet to reverse his decision to close Gitmo. He's still for shutting the place down without specifying what he'll do with its occupants.
But this time the usually passive Democratic Congress refused to go along. And rightly so. Before leaving one location for another, it is best to know where you're going. Which is all Congress is really asking. It's a fair question, but the president was so unnerved by this rare sighting of reason in the Congress of the United States that he promptly did what he always does when in a fix: Give a speech.
It doesn't matter what Barack Obama says in a speech so long as he gives one. Among the things he didn't say this time was just where he'd put the dangerous fanatics now locked up at Guantanamo. A minor detail. The only thing that seems to count with American public opinion is that he's given a speech, not its substance, if any.
Indeed, from a purely political perspective, it's better that he say nothing. That way, there's nothing to criticize. See the glowing reception accorded his saying nothing much about abortion at Notre Dame. There would be much to commend this president's value-free style of politics if the sole aim of politics were to sound good. And he sounds brilliant.
That's the empty essence of his Mr. Cool style; few are those who can hope to get away with it. This president has mastered it. It's his gift. And it explains why he's in the best of positions for a politician. To quote one observer, this president gets good press just for getting good press.
Who were the six senators who were ready to shut down Guantanamo without knowing where its occupants would go? Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tim Harkin of Iowa, Pat Leahy of Vermont, Carl Levin of Michigan, and Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse of little Rhode Island. So can we count on them to volunteer their states to house our all-too-distinguished guests at Gitmo? You know the answer to that one.
Even some of those senators who voted against shutting down Guantanamo say the place should be shuttered eventually. Why? To quote Dianne Feinstein, the senator from California: "Guantanamo is used by al-Qaida as a symbol of American abuse of Muslims and is fanning the flames of anti-Americanism around the world."
Can she believe that, if there were no Guantanamo, our enemies wouldn't find another propaganda theme to rally America-haters around the world?
So how about if we just tell al-Qaida to go to Hell? And add that Gitmo will remain open and ready for business if those who kill innocents in the name of Allah are lucky enough, or cooperative enough, to make it there alive.
At least for the moment, the president is sticking with his vow to shut down Guantanamo, even if he's reversed himself on one campaign stand after another. It is not his changes of course in this war on terror that disturb. On the contrary, they're commendable. They show a realistic recognition of the kind of world in which we live. There's nothing wrong with his having second and better thoughts; it's just that he hasn't had quite enough of them yet.
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.
JWR contributor Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Send your comments by clicking here.
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