Opinion
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Dry Bones
DURING THE CAMPAIGN I
WAS SURE THAT OBAMA
WAS A DANGEROUS
IDEOLOGUE
Editorial
THOUGHTS
/BUT NOW I'M CLINGING
TO THE HOPE THAT
HE'S REALLY AN
OPPORTUNIST.
Ready Or Not
I
n the last weeks of the presidential
campaign, Joe Biden stated that who-
ever was elected, "he will be tested.
Our enemies always want to try the resolve
of the new guy."
At the time, it was regarded as some-
thing of a gaffe, since Barack Obama's
experience in foreign policy was not his
strength.
But Biden, the Democratic candidate's
vice presidential pick, was speaking a
simple truth.
It is altogether likely to suppose that
President-elect Obama will face an early
challenge, and it is even more likely that
it will come in the Islamic Crescent that
stretches from Somalia to Pakistan and is
centered on Iran.
This is the breeding ground of those
who hate America most: religious totali-
tarians, violent jihadists and rejectionists
of every aspect of a democratic, pluralistic
society.
The new president should know two
major things going in.
1. The word compromise is not in the
vocabulary of our adversaries. Why should
they compromise when they feel they are
winning and that most Western countries
do not have the will to stand up to them?
2. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while
rich in symbolic importance, has little
bearing on the greater struggle. It serves
primarily as a diversion to turn attention
away from the misrule that characterizes
Islamic countries.
Although President-elect Obama said
that he would be willing to sit down with
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
without pre-conditions, let us hope he
changes his mind. Iran is the greatest
sponsor of terror in the region.
Any change in that equation would be
a tremendous accomplishment. There are
signs that Ahmadinejad may be losing his
grip on political power. Close allies have
been removed from their positions in
government in recent months, and a man
who feels his power slipping away is an
irrational adversary.
Isolating him, while giving covert
encouragement to democratic moderates,
is the best course to follow.
All American presidents are also
assured early on that if only Israel would
compromise on its borders, on a shared
Jerusalem, on the
right of Palestinian
return — peace
would come to the
region. The key to
even considering a
form of that, howev-
AND THIS IS A
TO BUILD A
er, is Israel having a
REALLY GREAT
REALLY GREAT
negotiating partner
OPPORTUNITY
PRESIDENCY,
it can believe in.
The new presi-
dent has appointed
several prominent
American Jews to
high positions in his
administration.
That should go
a long way to ease
fears about his poli-
www.DryBonesBlog.com
cies towards Israel,
one of the main
reasons Jewish vot-
reciprocal concessions.
ers were reluctant to back him early in the
Only when nuclear-armed terrorist
campaign.
states and a militant Islam that aims at
Let us also hope he listens to those who
world domination are defeated can a real
know the territory best and does not suc-
peace be possible for Israel.
cumb to wishful thinking that any gamble
But the test Biden predicted is coming
for peace on Israel's part will result in
soon. Ready or not.
Reality Check
Obama's Game Plan
T
he last question directed to
Barack Obama on his recent 60
Minutes interview asked what he
would do as president to make sure that
college football teams play to a real cham-
pionship.
It was meant as a light finale to the ses-
sion, of course. But without missing a beat,
the president-elect boldly promulgated a
plan for an eight-team playoff, just as if
he had been mulling it over right before
going on camera.
That's when my final misgivings about
him disappeared. Here is a man who
thinks deeply about the same fatuous
things that also annoy me. Had things
worked out better for him, he could have
been a sportswriter.
Forget about the economy, Iran and
naming a cabinet. Give America an
eight-team college football playoff and
you're right there with the crowd on Mt.
Rushmore as far as I'm concerned.
That's why I never really trusted Lyndon
Johnson or Jimmy Carter. They knew
squat about sports. It was also
the flaw I saw in Bill Clinton. All
coaches know you don't do that
sort of thing right before the big
game.
So as long as the new presi-
dent is willing to deal sternly
with college football maybe he'd
also like to take care of a few
other issues:
1.Force a sale of the Lions. Or,
if that fails, slap a 100 percent
estate tax on everyone named Ford. That
is only fair because they have managed to
destroy 100 percent of my interest in an
entire sport.
2. Tell television announcers to shut
their pie-holes. When did it become nec-
essary to fill every second of airtime with
incessant babbling, no matter how inane?
Whatever happened to letting the picture
tell the story?
I've been forced to turn off the sound
during many games simply because the
mindless, repetitive, insipid remarks
offered as "commentary"
were slowly driving me
mad.
And the very worst is Rod
Allen with the Tigers, who
never met a cliche he didn't
like and once described
streak-hitting Craig Monroe
as being "literally on fire
Good heavens, somebody run
for the water buckets.
3. Get rid of all sideline
reporters in football games. Have you ever,
even once, heard them turn up something
that is worth knowing?
4. If they must play World Series games
at night, eliminate the first 40 minutes of
airtime, which consists of more babbling
on the part of a panel of "experts" who are
eager to tell you things you already know
without a trace of wit or insight.
5.Tell newspaper columnists to stop
firing people in print. That is the easiest
and dumbest kind of column to write. It
is a substitute for any kind of thoughtful
analysis, which would take some reporting
and might even be difficult.
If anybody should get fired, it's a writer
who has to fall back on this sort of thing
once or twice every month. Declare it a
violation of the Pure Food and Drug Act or
something.
6.Make it mandatory for the Free Press'
Michael Rosenberg to stay in Detroit. He
is, far and away, the best columnist, sports
or otherwise, working in this market, and
I don't want him running off to New York
or Chicago.
I know that's a pretty long laundry list,
Mr. Obama; and I'm really sorry to hit you
with this sort of thing even before you're
inaugurated. But I think we're on the same
page here.
And if you're ever inclined to name a
Sports Czar, look no further. I'm rested
and ready. ❑
George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor614@aol.com.
December 4 2008
A27