Whoever first said that “no good deed goes unpunished” must have been thinking of the Middle East. I’m doing exactly what I promised during the campaign. I’m pressing for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel and the Arab states. I’m trying to convince the Iranians to scrap their nuclear programs in exchange for …
Continue reading “Reading Obama’s Mind (Optimistically): Middle East Game Plans”
A half-year into their tenure, leaders of our all-Democratic federal government should take a moment to reflect on the nation they seek to change and the lessons to learn from recent U.S. political history. President Obama and the Democrat-led Congress have reached a defining moment. As lawmakers prepare to begin their month-long summer recess, the …
Continue reading “For Democrats, Raging Incrementalism May Be the Answer”
After reviewing the ills that beset America, from a weak economy to a misguided energy policy, from failing schools to costly health care, Barack Obama focused on the nation’s mood. ‘Less measurable, but no less profound,’ the new President suggested in his inaugural address, ‘is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear …
Continue reading “Letter from Washington / Don’t Bet on America’s Decline”
It was 40 years ago to the day as I write these words. On the evening of July 20, 1969, my parents, older sister and I gathered around our lone TV in our small one-story house to watch history. The screen was momentarily blank, but the image would soon appear from some 240,000 miles away. …
Continue reading “America’s Cycles: The Moon, ‘Malaise’ and Free Berlin!”
“I am not scared,” said a young woman, her clothes drenched in blood, during last week’s protest in Tehran to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 1999 student uprising against Iran’s brutal regime, “because we are in this together.” Hundreds of miles away in the Italian town of L’Aguila, leaders of the Group of Eight …
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast,” Alexander Pope wrote in 1733, as if presaging the seemingly endless search for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. On this issue, hope springs to life especially with the change of political seasons in Washington, Jerusalem and other key capitals. New leaders assume office, promising to apply new energy …
In a recent Rasmussen poll, just 53 percent of American adults said they believe capitalism is better than socialism. The rest thought socialism was better or were not sure. The poll shows just how much the global economic crisis has shaken the confidence that, until recently, the United States-led free market economy will continue to …