Attack Of The Virtuecrats

Posted on: August 25th, 2010

Every so often an issue arises that seems tailor-made to give liberals an excuse to parade their supposed moral virtues while denigrating the poor benighted rednecks, bigots and ignoramuses foolish enough to disagree with the received wisdom of The New York Times editorial page.

This Cancellation A Long Time Coming

Posted on: August 18th, 2010

Joseph Epstein, one of America's most distinguished essayists (and a man who over the past couple of decades has made his way along the well-trod political path from left to right), has canceled his subscription to The New York Times.

Daniel Schorr’s Big Lie

Posted on: August 11th, 2010

The passing last month of veteran journalist Daniel Schorr brought forth all the expected media testimonials, but to the Monitor Schorr essentially was a liberal pamphleteer who attempted to hide his biases under an unconvincing fa?ade of "objective journalist."

Waiting For The Nixonphobes

Posted on: August 4th, 2010

Five years ago this week, the Monitor learned firsthand just how the mere mention of Richard Nixon is enough to turn even the most mild-mannered of liberals into screaming viragos. In that particular case, the words about Nixon that so provoked them - their tortured heads no doubt filled with the sounds of werewolves howling and fingernails scratching blackboards - appeared not in this column but in a front-page essay for this paper penned by your humble scribbler.

The Conversion Of ‘Glenn Rosenthal’

Posted on: July 21st, 2010

A number of years ago this column mentioned someone named Glenn Rosenthal, a self-described liberal Reform Jew who had been communicating with the Monitor for some time (and continued to do so until early 2009).

The View From 1999

Posted on: July 7th, 2010

A reader responding to last week's column concerning Commentary magazine's symposium on President Obama, Israel, and American Jews, cautioned that such endeavors be taken with more than the proverbial grain of salt, since even the brightest of minds can fail to see what lies ahead, particularly when the subject is as volatile and unpredictable as U.S. Mideast policy or the Arab-Israeli conflict in general.

The Debate Over Obama

Posted on: June 30th, 2010

In case you haven't yet had the pleasure, you can read Commentary's latest symposium, "Obama, Israel & American Jews: The Challenge" on the magazine's website (www.commentarymagazine.com).

Confederacy Of Dunces

Posted on: June 23rd, 2010

The indispensable Media Research Center never lacks for material when compiling its "Notable Quotable" listings of stupidity, bias and malfeasance on the part of journalists and other media types.

Just The Facts, Ma’am

Posted on: June 16th, 2010

The trusty folks at CAMERA have assembled a handy guide to the falsehoods and facts surrounding the Gaza flotilla. Some salient excerpts:

And Take Your Broomstick With You

Posted on: June 9th, 2010

Helen Thomas's boundless disdain for Israel, so apparent to anyone who heard or read her leading questions and hostile asides at countless presidential press conferences over the years, finally did her in this week.

Shining Some Light On The Flotilla Raid

Posted on: June 2nd, 2010

No sooner had Israeli forces boarded the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara than he mainstream media and the blogosphere lit up with the usual venomous condemnations of Israel. As usual, most of the condemnation could be found on liberal and left-wing websites and blogs while defense of Israel's actions came almost entirely from those on the Right.

Buchanan Again

Posted on: May 18th, 2010

Over the years the Monitor has on several occasions revisited the matter of Pat Buchanan's apparent obsession with Jews and Israel. The list of his statements about Jews and Israel, ranging from the insensitive to the derogatory, continues to grow, most recently with his complaint that if the Senate confirms Obama nominee Elena Kagan, "Jews, who represent less than 2 percent of the U.S. population, will have 33 percent of the Supreme Court seats."

Lindsay Revisionism

Posted on: May 12th, 2010

A new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, a new book and a new documentary (which aired in New York on May 6) comprise a joint project with the apparent aim of refurbishing the tarnished reputation of John Vliet Lindsay, who presided over the rapid (and at the time seemingly irreparable) decline of New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Real Deal

Posted on: April 28th, 2010

The anticipated or imminent arrival to the major leagues of a Jewish ballplayer is such a relatively infrequent phenomenon that it usually has Jewish fans buzzing - often for the two or three (or more) years it takes for a particular Jewish player to work his way up through the minor leagues.

Thumbs Up For The ‘Israel Lobby’

Posted on: April 21st, 2010

Walter Russell Mead, the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and one of America’s most quoted writers on international affairs, posted an article on The American Interest blog (www.the-american-interest.com) earlier this month that should be required reading for all who are vexed by the controversy over the much maligned “Israel Lobby” in America.

A Diplomatic Memoir Worth Reading

Posted on: April 14th, 2010

The Monitor never much cared for Martin Indyk during the latter’s service in a variety of diplomatic roles (including ambassador to Israel and assistant secretary of state) for President Bill Clinton. He seemed to be the very embodiment of the Clinton foreign-policy mindset that had as its centerpiece the pursuit of a nebulous Middle East “peace process” and the elevation of Yasir Arafat to statesmanlike status.

Read All About It: U.S. Presidents And Israel

Posted on: March 24th, 2010

Several years ago the Monitor recommended a bunch of books on U.S. presidents and the Middle East. The following is an updated and expanded listing for anyone interested in filling some hours during the upcoming Pesach holiday that otherwise would be spent sitting in a hotel lobby or zoning out on the couch at home.

What Petraeus Really Said

Posted on: March 18th, 2010

When Gen. David Petraeus was portrayed last month as having made statements suggesting that America’s support of Israel was imperiling the lives of U.S. soldiers, the usual anti-Israel suspects had a field day on blogs and websites. Turns out, though, that the general didn’t quite say what was being attributed to him.

Tom Friedman, Again

Posted on: March 17th, 2010

Thomas Friedman, who in the past has written of American officials being held “under house arrest” in the White House by an Israeli prime minister, used a crass Yad Vashem metaphor to describe Israel, and viewed Menachem Begin’s pride in things Jewish as “his pornography” (more on those statements later), is at it again, this time likening Israeli leaders to dangerously inebriated motorists.

Joseph Farah, Mythbuster

Posted on: March 3rd, 2010

Joseph Farah the founder and editor of WorldNetDaily, is so solidly and unashamedly pro-Israel that he’s developed something approaching a cult following among pro-Israel Jews. (Yes, “pro-Israel Jews” – it has, unfortunately, become necessary to make that distinction.)