Tag: carter

"For the Palestinians it seems to be a matter of either bad or worse. Some presidents have come closer than others in trying to solve the conflict such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, even if these efforts fell short of Palestinian aspirations. But none have made the bold moves imperative to bringing about a permanent solution. Unfortunately, President Obama has proven that he neither has the gumption nor the political will to make the changes necessary for a just and lasting peace and that matters will probably either stay where they are or deteriorate even further if he gets elected for a second term."

"Lichtman is no crystal ball gazer. His predictions are based on a formula he developed in 1981 in collaboration with a Russian geophysicist, who had previously specialized in creating models used to forecast earthquakes. Their approach was based on a thorough analysis of the forces at work in shaping the political landscape in every U.S. presidential elections from 1860 to 1980. From this examination they developed their predictive model. And since then, Lichtman has used it to correctly forecast the outcome of every election from 1984 through 2008."

"We must face reality: the War Powers Resolution will work only if Congress is vigilant and demands full compliance by the president. With few exceptions, today's members of Congress, like those in the recent past, unwisely see decisions on war as a prickly nettle they are content to leave to the president. They need to be reminded that war is the worst burden government can place on citizens. It becomes heavier with the emergence of massive new high-tech war instruments, each of which magnifies, rather than reduces, the necessity of congressional restraint on presidential war-making. No citizen, not even the president, should have the authority to initiate war measures....Obama's abuse of war powers stands the Constitution on its head. He should be ashamed, and so should our complacent Congress for letting it happen."

"The writing is on the wall: if Israel doesn't take some initiative regarding Hamas, others will, bypassing Israel and conceivably ill serving its interests. Israel currently communicates with Hamas through Egypt's good offices. Yet all Egypt's attempts to mediate a stable ceasefire and a prisoner exchange have failed. Cairo, lest we forget, has its own legitimate interests regarding Hamas--keeping it out of Sinai and away from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and in general making sure it is Israel's problem, not Egypt's--that its mediating efforts are designed to serve."