The President Plays The Race Card

Posted on: July 24th, 2013

President Obama is playing a cynical and dangerous game with his comments in the wake of George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The problem is not that Mr. Obama may feel that by acquitting Mr. Zimmerman the jury was saying race played no role. That is his prerogative. But it is a problem when the president, in introducing a national dialogue on race relations at this time, indelibly links Trayvon Martin’s death with race and thereby inserts himself in the middle of a concerted effort by some, who will simply not accept the jury’s verdict, to have Mr. Zimmerman indicted on federal anti-hate laws.

Obama Unbound

Posted on: July 17th, 2013

In the past we have explored how President Obama’s penchant for unilateral executive actions has resulted in encroachments on the powers of Congress and the courts. This despite the constitutional blueprint for a federal government limited by a system of checks and balances through the Constitution’s separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

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Different Rules For Different People?

Posted on: July 17th, 2013

We are troubled by the reactions of some to the “Not Guilty” verdict in the Zimmerman/Martin case. The unanimous conclusion by the jury notwithstanding, there is a hue and cry that racism was behind the shooting and an injustice was done simply because Mr. Zimmerman was acquitted.

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A Reality-Driven Foreign Policy?

Posted on: July 10th, 2013

In the beginning, President Obama really thought he could change the world. And he had specific plans to do so, both here and abroad.

Mr. Secretary, You’re Embarrassing Us

Posted on: July 10th, 2013

It’s time for Secretary of State John Kerry to take stock of his obsessive and peripatetic efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. It is an obvious fool’s errand that demeans our diplomatic image around the world.

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Dr. Norman Lamm Retires

Posted on: July 3rd, 2013

Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm has retired after sixty years at Yeshiva University. In 1976 Dr. Lamm, after years as a student and then faculty member, was appointed president of YU and rosh yeshiva of YU’s rabbinical school, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS).

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Stop & Frisk And Racial Profiling Legislation: Collateral Issues

Posted on: July 3rd, 2013

Dominating the public policy discussion in New York these past few weeks have been two pieces of New York City Council legislation relating to the New York City Police Department. One creates the position of inspector general within the NYPD to monitor the department’s activities; the other grants individuals who claim to have been victims of racial profiling the right to bring a lawsuit seeking a court judgment prohibiting similar actions by the NYPD (seeking monetary damages is not provided for).

A Mayoral Candidate’s Low Blow

Posted on: June 26th, 2013

Mr. Lhota promptly followed up his attack on Mr. Silver with an extravagant fundraising e-mail.

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The National Security Agency Imbroglio

Posted on: June 26th, 2013

It seems a day doesn’t go by without at least one new revelation about the scope of the federal government’s monitoring of the communications of American citizens (and of perhaps many other people around the world).

Reaping The Whirlwind

Posted on: June 19th, 2013

No one can envy President Obama’s current dilemma over Syria. His decision to begin arming the Syrian rebels challenging Bashar Assad’s regime drew charges that the rebel forces are driven by jihad movements, particularly al Qaeda. Further, many rebel spokesmen have regularly denounced Israel and suggested that once in power they will end Mr. Assad’s policy of not rocking the boat with Israel. How, then, critics ask, could the president align the U.S. with the rebels?

False Hope From Iranian Election Results?

Posted on: June 19th, 2013

In a gushing report on the election of Hassan Rohani as Iran’s new president, The New York Times began with this: “In a striking repudiation of the ultraconservatives who wield power in Iran, voters…overwhelmingly elected a mild-mannered cleric who advocates greater personal freedoms and a more conciliatory approach to the world.”

NY State Senate Should Pass The Iranian Disinvestment Bill

Posted on: June 19th, 2013

Last month in this space we noted that the New York State Assembly was considering legislation that would prohibit domestic insurers from including on their financial statements investments in companies that engage in investment activities in Iran. These financial statements are relied upon by the state to determine whether the company is solvent and able to pay claims. That bill has since passed the Assembly, but the New York State Senate is balking at passing it as well.

Government Snooping

Posted on: June 12th, 2013

The unauthorized release last week of the text of a four-page order issued by a federal judge sitting on the special FISA national security court has unleashed a torrent of controversy over possible governmental overreaching.

The Claims Conference Controversy – In Context

Posted on: June 12th, 2013

We take it as a sure sign of the times that the recent stunning news that the Claims Conference had negotiated a four-year $1 billion infusion of funds from the German government to aid Holocaust survivors has been largely overshadowed by criticism that those leading the conference mishandled an internal investigation into the embezzlement of $57 million by some employees over a fifteen-year period.

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Helping The Oklahoma Tornado Victims (II)

Posted on: June 5th, 2013

Last week we lauded the efforts of several Jewish organizations to ameliorate the plight of the victims of the recent massive Oklahoma tornado and the extraordinary gesture the owner of Agri Star Meat & Poultry of Postville, Iowa, made in donating ten tons of meat for distribution.

Yes, They Really Are Very Big Deals

Posted on: June 5th, 2013

We have no doubt that there is some measure of political partisanship in the controversies swirling around the Obama administration. That is, after all, the American way of governance and, frankly, how wrongdoing is often identified and uncovered. But political maneuvering is just a sideshow that distracts from the questions that should concern us, each of which strikes at the heart of American self-government.

Helping The Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Posted on: May 29th, 2013

We proudly salute those Jewish organizations that have rallied in support of the victims of last week’s devastating tornado that destroyed a large swath of the Oklahoma City region. As we reported last week, though there are relatively few Jews who live in the area, Jewish groups are providing an array of assistance.

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Obama’s Take On Future Warfare

Posted on: May 29th, 2013

President Obama’s speech on counterterrorism last Thursday at the National Defense University was one of the more impressive he has delivered while in the White House. Indeed, in discussing a reevaluation of how to fight what we all have come to refer to as “the war on terror,” he eloquently identified some profound issues.

Leaker-In-Chief?

Posted on: May 29th, 2013

Reports that the Obama administration targeted the records of reporters in an effort to determine who in government leaked secret information about a Yemeni bomb plot and a CIA report on North Korea would almost be amusing if the implications weren’t so troubling. Leaking information seems to be a forte of his administration – mainly, it seems, when the image of the president is thereby enhanced.

The Threshold Question

Posted on: May 22nd, 2013

In an editorial last week (“Circling the Wagons”) we noted the efforts by the administration and its supporters to dismiss allegations that the government’s spin on the Benghazi attack was designed to shield the president and that the IRS was improperly used to stifle opposition to Mr. Obama’s reelection.