Jewish organizations gearing up for Democrats

    Two of the biggest groups are apparently worried about the Democrats ethics and lobbying oversite that is forthcoming!

 

Jewish Groups To Challenge Ethics Reform
Aipac, UJC To Face Off With Dems on Junkets, Earmarks
Nathan Guttman | Fri. Dec 01, 2006

Two of America’s most influential Jewish organizations are gearing up for their first direct confrontation with the incoming, Democratic-led Congress. The topic: Democratic proposals for congressional ethics and lobbying reform.
   At issue are two key congressional perks, targeted for elimination, that Jewish organizations rely on to achieve community goals: overseas junkets, including dozens of trips to Israel each year, funded by Jewish organizations; and an estimated $25 million a year in earmarked funds for Jewish communal projects. Both the trips and the earmarked funding face possible elimination as part of the Democrats’ pledge to fight corruption on Capitol Hill.    More HERE

 

Arabs say Bush out of touch with reality

        After Mr. Bush's meeting in Iraq on Thursday, even the Arabs think that he is out of touch with reality! Many Arab leaders said that they were baffled that nothing came out of the meeting.

 

As the Talks on Iraq Conclude, Arabs Wonder, Is That All?

By HASSAN M. FATTAH

Published: December 1, 2006

AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 30 — For days, Arab governments lobbied against any American opening to Iran, Jordanians planned protests against President Bush and politicians braced for a possible announcement of a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

But as the summit meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Kamal Nuri al-Maliki of Iraq concluded Thursday morning, the Arab world was left dumbfounded that nothing had come of it.

“I am baffled by what I saw,” said Abdel Moneim Said, director of the Ahram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo. “This was an expression of the Americans in deep trouble, but Bush’s approach to dealing with the Iraqi problem also bore the signs of someone out of touch with what is going on.”        READ ME!