The editor of Commentary magazine and the film critic for The Weekly Standard, John Podhoretz served as a speechwriter in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. He is the author of Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies.
Podhoretz begins this wide-ranging discussion with the assertion that "[T]he national counter assault against Obama is a manifestation of democratic politics as they ought to work," not a blatant attempt at obstructionism. "Politics begins when elections end."
Shifting from domestic politics to international affairs, he outlines the deteriorating U.S.-Israel relationship, its impact on the Jewish American community, and how this relationship is further strained by divergent views in the administrations of each country on how to evaluate and confront the danger posed by a nuclear Iran.
Bio
John Podhoretz
John Podhoretz is an American neoconservative columnist for the New York Post, editor of Commentary magazine, the author of several books on politics, and a former presidential speechwriter.
Peter Robinson
Peter M. Robinson is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics, edits the Hoover Institution's quarterly journal, the Hoover Digest, and hosts Hoover's television program, "Uncommon Knowledge."
Robinson is also the author of three books: How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life; It's My Party: A Republican's Messy Love Affair with the GOP; and the best-selling business book Snapshots from Hell: The Making of an MBA.
Country, Middle East, southwestern Asia. Area: 636,374 sq mi (1,648,200 sq km). Population (2009 est.): 74,196,000. Capital: Tehran. Persians constitute the largest ethnic group; other ethnic groups include Azerbaijanians, Kurds, Lurs, Bakhtyari, and Baloch. Languages: Persian (Farsi; official), numerous others. Religions: Islam (official; predominantly Shi'ite); also Zoroastrianism. Currency: rial. Iran occupies a high plateau, rising higher than 1,500 feet (460 metres) above sea level, and is surrounded largely by mountains. More than half of its surface area consists of salt deserts and other wasteland. About one-tenth of its land is arable, and another one-fourth is suitable for grazing. Iran's rich petroleum reserves account for about one-tenth of world reserves and are the basis of its economy. It is a unitary Islamic republic with one legislative house and several oversight bodies dominated by clergy. The head of state and government is the president, but supreme authority rests with the rahbar (leader), a ranking cleric. Human habitation in Iran dates to some 100,000 years ago, but recorded history began with the Elamites c. 3000 BCE. The Medes flourished from c. 728 but were overthrown in 550 by the Persians, who were in turn conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE. The Parthians (seeParthia) created an empire that lasted from 247 BCE to 226 CE, when control passed to the Sasanian dynasty. Various Muslim dynasties ruled from the 7th century. In 1501 the Safavid dynasty was established and lasted until 1736. The Qajar dynasty ruled from 1796, but in the 19th century the country was economically controlled by the Russian and British empires. Reza Khan (seeReza Shah Pahlavi) seized power in a coup (1921). His son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi alienated religious leaders with a program of modernization and Westernization and was overthrown in 1979; Shi'ite cleric Ruhollah Khomeini then set up an Islamic republic, and Western influence was suppressed. The destructive Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s ended in a stalemate. Since the 1990s the government has gradually moved to a more liberal conduct of state affairs.
This point was well understood by the Founding Fathers. I LOVE gridlock. It keeps us free. Those in power LOVE power. The checks and balances and Constitutional limits on the power of the state protect us. automated forex trading
Hi, thanks to Foratv.org. the Phrase They are referring to is not Israeli, It is Yiddish, European Jew. Normal Yid = Normal Jew! Thats all! nothing more!My Mother used that term 1957!The fact that the President of Iran is the Mouth piece of the Supreme leader. And yet the conversation never gets to the decision maker Supreme. Imagine A Supreme Leader with NUKES! This is not acceptable, and the Never Again Mantra in Israel is getting louder by the day. Unity, for Jews-all kinds of jEWS. think, Exactly 1000 years ago we all had the Crusades, in exactly the same region, consistency or Lunacy, Full moon madness tells it all. Mahalo and Aloha!
His point that politicians see democracy and governmental institutions as an obstacle to them executing their "bold plans." This point was well understood by the Founding Fathers. I LOVE gridlock. It keeps us free. Those in power LOVE power. The checks and balances and Constitutional limits on the power of the state protect us. I am certain George Bush sat with his cabinet and said, "Well, if we really have to get the congress to agree on this military option, go ahead and get it put to a vote." He then probably felt he had to "play the game" with the UN Security Council and get a resolution 1441 to get everyone used to the idea of an American invasion of Iraq. Obama is probably furious that he cannot simply snap hisa fingers and do what he wants. Thank God for the separation of powers, enumerated powers and the three branch system of a Constitutional Republic that we havein the United States.
If more than the United States would take a principled stand against Iran, military action would not be necessary. Since Europe has lost its nerve and no longer sees themselves morally justified to act on the world stage, other than whining and acting outraged, the United States and Israel stand alone essentially. What if France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel, the United States and all other democratic nations stood together and unequivocally stated to Iran that they would all act together, militarily if necessary, to stop them from persuing a nuclear weapons program - no negotiations, no conditions. We could end this tension now. As usual, the United States is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't.
The military option is out of the question. If Iran is hit it could open a second front with North Korea. What Israel plans to do will affect the whole world. Make the right decision this time.
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