I have to sigh when I read, in Salon, of American Jews professing ambivalence about which of our two presumptive presidential candidates might best further Israel's interests. That there is any question confounds me. You have in McCain a man bereft of new ideas, a militarist at heart, whose administration, by most indications, would largely continue Bush policies. And what a disaster those have been! No engagement in the peace process, empty, banal words of praise or rebuke parceled out carefully between the Israelis and Palestinians. An Obama administration, on the other hand, is virtually certain to push both sides hard to make concessions neither is much willing to make these days, given the disappointments of the past. Bush policies encouraged and empowered Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. McCain is watered-down Bush, but however dilute so toxic a world view remains poison to American interests which, in the end, must trump Israel's. Israel's longterm interests lie, I believe, in an American recovery of respect and credibility. McCain offers little chance of achieving that.

Truly bizarre was Day 2 of the GOP Convention, with not one substantive issue raised in any detail. Even national security -- "keeping Americans safe" as the Republicans like to put it -- was mainly about over-the-top, emotion-triggering depictions of military heroism. We know our service members are devoted, brave, and steadfast, but where was the connection between the story of a fallen warrior and the GOP plan for the next four years? Missing in action. Instead we got patriotic cliches, Fred Thompson bloviating platitudes, Joe Lieberman dismissing Obama as a fine young man with a future. The GOP is once again running as the war party. War will make us safe and keep us free. And, y'know what? We're WINNING in Iraq! Our troops are COMING HOME! Obama was WRONG! McCain was RIGHT! The surge worked! The most Orwellian twist, what columnist Mark Shields called the evening's "cognitive dissonance," was all the speakers talking about draining the "swamp" of Washington, rooting out "corruption" and "influence-peddling" and ending the "bitter divisions" of partisan politics -- as if there had not been a Bush administration, with its rogues gallery of criminals, possibly the most corrupt administration in modern presidential history. And now McCain's campaign manager says this race is "not about issues." Really? I'd check with the 47 million Americans without health coverage first. Or those military families facing their fourth and fifth deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan. The GOP has no program; it simply is determined to stay in power.

When I want air-brained chatter about notables I can find it on low-rent television. But in Salon? Who woulda thunk it: "And that's potentially the problem: Nothing's wrong. It's perfect. It's the look Michelle's had since we've known her, and it's already starting to look locked in, like armor (Condoleezza Rice, anyone?)." One can only sigh.

Now let's consider Bobby Jindal (but only for a moment, I promise). In his astonishingly inept Republican "response" to the President's first congressional address, he noted that he came to the USA from India in his mother's womb. Since Republicans hold that life begins at conception, doesn't that mean Jindal is really a (gasp!) FOREIGNER and therefore unqualified to run for president someday, as his handlers fancied (at least, until Tuesday night's fiasco).