U.S. Acts Cautiously on Mideast Issues
June 16, 2005
It may be the most ideological presidency in recent memory, but on at least one issue, the Bush administration is pure pragmatism.
James D. Besser
AIPAC — Let the Sun Shine In
June 2, 2005
By most measures, last week\’s policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was a success.
Washington Watch
June 2, 2005
The issue of religious coercion at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is starting to reverberate on Capitol Hill — with what one Jewish legislator said are ugly overtones.
The Faith Wars Heat Up
May 19, 2005
It\’s nothing less than a revolution; in states across the country, an empowered Christian right is changing laws, rewriting textbooks, transforming the judiciary and even redefining science.
The nation\’s culture wars have taken another leap in intensity. Since the 2004 elections, empowered religious conservatives have become more organized, more energized and — critics say — more extreme. They want action on their key issues, and heaven help politicians who defy them.
And the Jewish community, with a lot at stake, has been restrained in response. The growing entanglement of religious conservatism and partisan politics scares Jewish groups worried about keeping their tax-exempt status; so does the threat of losing new supporters of Israel and access to the political high and mighty.
But Jewish voters aren\’t so ambivalent, which is why the long-predicted Jewish partisan realignment remains fiction, not fact.
Presbyterians Won’t Budge on Divesting
April 14, 2005
You have to hand it to those Presbyterians. Their leaders know what they want, and they won\’t be deflected by things like logic, fairness or the well-being of people in the Middle East.
Gaza Strife and American Jews
March 17, 2005
Civil strife in Israel over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon\’s Gaza disengagement plan could cause new strains in the American Jewish community and accelerate the turning away from the pro-Israel cause, especially among younger Jews.
Torture, Genocide and Jewish Silence
February 17, 2005
Jews around the world have worked hard to give life to the slogan \”never again,\” but there are painfully abundant signs the world isn\’t listening. And, worse, a number of our own organizations have been reluctant to speak out on some of the moral rationalizations that contribute to the genocidal mindset.
Jewish Groups Stay Silent on Tax Cuts
February 3, 2005
For many Jewish activists, the dilemma is excruciating: Congress and the administration are debating a revolution in American life, but Jewish organizations, with rare exceptions, have been struck dumb.
U.S. Faces Tough Policy Challenges
January 14, 2005
With Sunday\’s elections, the Bush administration got something it demanded from the Palestinians: the beginnings of a democracy. Whether that produces a real, functional democracy remains to be seen — and as that drama plays out, the administration faces some tough decisions and some big policy snares.
Battles Shaping Up in New Congress
January 6, 2005
With the holidays and the congressional interregnum, Washington has been a quiet place in recent weeks. But that quiet belies feverish behind-the-scenes planning as political partisans and advocacy groups get set for a particularly contentious legislative session.
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