I think that Israel’s political cartoonist, Yaakov Kirschen, is overall the cleverest, clearest-thinking English language political cartoonist in the business. His (generally) 4-panel format allows him some latitude in making his points, by creating dynamics of progression and punchline, which he uses well.
Check out this devastating video, full of Rudy in his own words - and it truly is the tippy tip of this iceberg. There must be hundreds, even thousands, of clips like this.
Hands down the funniest political commentary ever - Steve Colbert’s rant last night when he “conceded” the House. You’ll need to click on Part 7 of the “Midterm Midtacular” at Comedy Central’s website.
Over at FirstThings.com, Richard John Neuhaus has an interesting gloss on Adam Garfinkle’s “Jewcentricity” piece (which I haven’t yet read [Oct.30 - well, now I’ve read it and it’s an interesting, well-presented point of view, but one in which G-d (and any spiritual reality) plays no role. While it is of mild curiosity to peer briefly through Garfinkle’s lens, it is hard for me to assimilate that kind of pov or to assign it any weight at all; it seems to me to render pointless the whole Jewish experience (both as Jews experience it and as other religions experience it). I recognize that this may place me in the minority of contemporary Jews, but it most assuredly places me among the majority of Jews who have lived the Jewish experience as well as among the majority of all adherents to any of the variations of the Abrahamic faiths. But back to Neuhaus]).
I was thinking today of Rabbi Eliezer’s dictum in the Talmud: �Repent one day before your death.� When his disciples asked the obvious question: �How can one know the day of his death?� Rabbi Eliezer responded: �Then let him repent each day, lest he die tomorrow.�
