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Vol. 1, No. 134

Tuesday Evening, September 11, 2007

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(Please click on headline below to jump to the story)

Israel and Middle East

Early morning Kassam attack wounds 69 sleeping Israeli soldiers

France's Foreign Minister seeking the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

Sept. 10: Peres meets survivor of Twin Towers attack, who walked down from 78th floor

Excavations uncover Jerusalem's ancient main drainage channel

Beehives dating back to biblical times are discovered in Tel Rehov

Iraq Debate

Levin, chairing Armed Services debate, outlines war failures

Senator Boxer lectures Gen. Petraeus during today's hearing on Iraq War

Cardin skeptical 'surge' tactic works

Feingold says Iraq war diverted attention from Al Qaeda threat

Shoshana Bryen: 9/11 anniversary reminds that in Iraq too, wreckers try to undo builders

United States of America

Hadassah demonstrates solidarity with Virginia Tech in pre 9/11 ceremony

Interfaith website will teach curious Muslims about Judaism

ADL urges Jewish institutions to be security conscious over holidays

Features

Jewish Grapevine

News Sleuths

Greater San Diego County

Donald H. Harrison: Judge rules Bennetts are entitled to $12.9 million for Marla's terror murder

Harry Doshay: AIDS speaker commands student attention at SDJA assembly

Adat Shalom programs geared both to active minds and bodies

Arts & Entertainment

Gail Feinstein Forman: AARON, the art-conceiving and executing computer, on display at Museum of Contemporary Art.

Judge rules Bennetts are entitled to $12.9 million for Marla's terror murder

By Donald H. Harrison

U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has ruled in Washington D.C. that Michael and Linda Bennett and their daughter Lisa, all of San Diego, are entitled to compensation of $12.9 million in the wrongful death of Marla Bennett.

Bennett, 24, was among nine people killed July 31, 2002, when a terrorist bomb shattered the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria at Hebrew University. After her body was brought home, attendance at her funeral was so large that Temple Emanu-El, the Bennett's congregation, conducted the service at neighboring Tifereth Israel Synagogue which has a large combination sanctuary and social hall that accommodated 1,500 people.

In a critical part of the ruling, Lamberth said that Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the attack, is supported by the government of Iran, and that Iran therefore was liable to pay compensation for the wrongful death.

Iran neither acknowledged the authority of the court in the case nor did it participate in the trial, in which the judge issued a default judgment.

Although the Bennetts had known of Lamberth's decision since the end of August, they did not publicize it. Word did not get out until the Jerusalem Post carried a story today by its Washington correspondent, Hillary Leila Krieger. The Jerusalem Post story in turn was disseminated by Israel's Consulate General in Los Angeles.

Linda Bennett said the judgment was "bittersweet," explaining that if money can ever be collected from Iran, she would like much of it to be used in support of causes that Marla held dear.

She told San Diego Jewish World that two funds that had been established in San Diego in Marla's memory would most likely receive such money as is collected: One, the Marla Bennett Memorial Fund held at the Jewish Community Foundation, provides emergency assistance to both Jews and non-Jews. Another, created by Temple Emanu-El, provides grants to youngsters seeking to travel to Israel.

While no amount of money could ever erase the pain of losing her daughter so violently, Bennett said she was glad that the court wants to make the perpetrators "pay." She said that she additionally hopes some of the realized funds can advance peaceful relations between Israelis and Palestinians, a cause in which Marla believed.

Michael Bennett said that he and Linda both traveled to Washington several months ago to testify about Marla's life, interests and "what she meant to people... How she had so many friends, how she worked at her friendships, how much she meant to us."

As Iran did not contest the suit, there was no cross examination. The Bennetts were represented by Ed Carnot, a former Washington lawyer who returned to his boyhood home of San Diego, where he had known Linda Bennett since they both were in junior high school.

Carnot recommended that the Bennetts retain as co-counsel Thomas Fortune Fay, who specializes in cases involving terror victims, and an additional attorney, Ron Karp. Fay had won a similar judgment for the family of Alisa Flatow, a Brandeis University student who was killed in 1995 when a suicide bomber ran his car into a bus carrying her and others to the Israeli settlement of Kfar Darom in Gaza. Flatow's father, Stephen, has since become a well-known lecturer and spokesperson for the fight against terror.

Fay just last Friday won a $2.65 billion judgment in Judge Lambreth's court for the families of the victims of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon—an incident that led President Ronald Reagan to withdraw American peacekeeping forces from that country.

Asked if the Bennetts ever would collect any money from Iran, given Iran's non-participation in the case and that country having no formal diplomatic relations with the United States government nor obvious assets in the U.S., the attorney replied he did not wish to answer that question in any detail. However, he said, "we have some ideas about recovery. We are hopeful we can collect something."

Israel and Middle East

Early morning Kassam attack wounds 69 sleeping Israeli soldiers

KIBBUTZ ZIKKIM, Israel (Staff Report)—Sixty nine Israeli soldiers were wounded when a Kassam rocket launched from near Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza landed at an IDF basic training base near Kibbutz Zikkim in the western Negev at around 1:30 am this morning.

The rocket landed directly on an empty mess tent used in the daytime. Soldiers sleeping in adjacent tents were wounded by shrapnel. One IDF soldier was critically wounded, four seriously wounded, seven moderately wounded and 57 lightly wounded.

The Salah a-Din Brigades - the military arm of the Public Resistance Committees - and the Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamic Jihad operatives celebrated the attack in their mosques in Gaza later Tuesday morning.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, speaking on Hamas radio, praised the rocket attack on an Israeli army base, calling it a "victory from God...We consider this a victory from God for the resistance. We consider the resistance as the legitimate right of the Palestinians to defend themselves and restore their rights."

In response to the attack, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told France's visiting Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner today "that alongside Israel’s desire to reach peace, it is necessary to defend its citizens against terrorist attacks and added that Israel would continue its counter-terrorist operations," according to a statement from Olmert's office. "The Prime Minister emphasized that there is no place for talks of any kind with Hamas, which cannot be a partner in the peace process since its path is that of terrorism.

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni responded to the attack during her a joint news conference with Kouchner.

"This morning began with a deliberate attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. We discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and its comparison to the different situation in the West Bank," she said.

"When it comes to the Israeli policy, of course, and I believe that this also is and should be international policy, we need to act with a clear distinction between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, between moderates and extremists, between Abu Mazen-Fayyad and those in Gaza who are looking not to create a state of their own but to act against the existence of the State of Israel.

"The policy is going to be totally different when it comes to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. So on one hand we need to act against the terrorists in Gaza Strip; on the other hand we need to take this opportunity to reach an understanding and find the common ground between Israel and the moderate, pragmatic leaders, namely Abu Mazen and Salam Fayyad."

Asked by a reporter if Israel would respond militarily to this latest incident, Livni responded:

"It doesn't make any difference to me exactly which terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the attack. All of Gaza is controlled by Hamas. They have the ability to stop the attacks and decided not to do so. So our policy towards them has to be radically different.

"True, in the context of this differential policy, the dialogue with Abu Mazen, which I do consider very important, will not provide a short-term solution to the situation in Gaza. I hope it creates such a solution, that it can improve the situation in the long run, so in the meantime Israel must take deliberate action. I think we have the means, and not only military means, that can be used against what is happening in Gaza. But here as well, the truth is that even if these measures will not stop the rocket launchings, because we are talking about a group of leaders that doesn’t care about their people and are not affected by deterrence, and who are motivated by extremist-religious Islamic ideology that has one goal - despite all this, I say that we are obliged to take action, because there are things a state has to do both to reduce the Kassam rocket fire and to make it clear that matters cannot continue in this way.

"We left Gaza with the goal of ending Israeli responsibility for what is taking place there. All the processes were also meant to achieve a situation of ending the “occupation” – in international terms, and an end to Israeli responsibility. So, I think that Israel’s legal position and our ability to use the means at our disposal are better than in the past. Of course, this needs to be restrained and based on clear criteria. Meetings have been scheduled on this matter for next week, and I am taking part in these discussions on behalf of the Foreign Ministry."

Concerning whether Israel might retaliate, Kouchner told the news conference: "I understand that Israel has to defend its population and there is a contract between the government and the army, first to defend the Israeli population. I don’t know how they will react or not. But certainly the major goal should be not to undermine the process of negotiation with Abu Mazen and the West Bank..."

Israel's Defense Force, meanwhile, provided on its website some details of the rocket attack and its aftermath.

"After receiving treatment on location, the soldiers were rushed to the hospital in Medical Corps ambulances assisted by the Air Force and Magen David Adom," the statement said.

"The attack occurred diring the night but medical treatment was administered very early on. In a matter of minutes first response teams of the IDF assisted by Magen David Adom medics and paramedics arrived at the scene and began administrating treatment to the injured soldiers," explained the commander of the Southern Command medical corps, Colonel Dr. Carmi Bartel.

The statement added that "the soldiers were transferred to the Barzilay hospital in Ashkelon, the Soroka hospital in Beersheba, the Shiba hospital in Tel Hashomer, Belinson in Petach Tikva and Haddassah Ein-Kerem in Jerusalem. Thirty eight of the soldiers were released after being checked by doctors in the hospital.

"Shortly following the incident, the Chief Engineer, Brigadier General Moshe Sheli and the Commander of the "Magal" combat unit, Colonel Eldad Peled arrived at the Zikim base to oversee the medical treatment of the injured soldiers. In the early morning hours the GOC of the Southern Command, Major General Yoav Galant and the Commander of the Ground Corps Major General Benny Ganz met with the base staff in order to receive a briefing on what had happened during the attack as well as to speak to soldiers on base.

"Commanders of the Zikim base also met with soldiers to speak to them about the attack. The soldiers of the base completed their basic training today and were released to their homes to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, with their families."

The preceding utilized materials provided by the offices of Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni and the IDF.

France's Foreign Minister seeking the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—At a joint news conference with Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was asked about his efforts in behalf of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is being held in Gaza.

Here is transcript of the question and answer:

Question: Mr. Kouchner, I understand during this visit you are meeting with Noam Shalit, the father of Gilad Shalit. I am just curious to know, what sort of involvement does the French government have, if anything, in regard to securing the release of Gilad Shalit, given that he is a French citizen? And also I noticed last night in Ramallah you said, “At the moment the French are not willing to talk to Hamas,” stressing the phrase “at the moment.” When would be the right and appropriate time?

FM Bernard Kouchner: Yes, I understand your question. We did our best. We were talking about Gilad Shalit every time to all our interlocutors. We tried to learn about him and protect him, etc. In a way it was easier, you are right, because we were able to go Gaza and talk to the people there. Now it is of course difficult at the same time to respect that sort of embargo - “Don’t talk to Hamas” and still get some news. But we have some other means or some other ways, through our Egyptian friends, our NGOs, the Red Cross or all the agencies, and we’ll do it. I just received a letter one hour ago from the families of the prisoners. Of course I received them in Paris. We are all doing our utmost effort to help them and we will follow such a line. But I have no more to say, unfortunately. I do have an appointment this afternoon with the father of Gilad Shalit.

The preceding was provided by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Peres Diary

Sept. 10: Peres meets survivor of Twin Towers attack, who walked down from 78th flooor

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—The President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres, met in his office with a survivor of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11th. He is an Israeli, Israel Czaczkes, who has been living in the U.S.A. for many years.

Czaczkes, who worked at the maintenance engineer of the building, was on the 78th floor. When the tower was attacked, Czaczkes, aged 68, showed

initiative and walked down the steps of the 78 floors. The moment he left the building, it collapsed.

The office of Israel's President Shimon from time to time releases accounts of his official activities. We have been publishing them as they are made available.

Excavations uncover Jerusalem's ancient main drainage channel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—In excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the City of David in order to expose the main road of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple period, the city’s main drainage channel was discovered. According to the writings of Josephus Flavius, the residents of the city fled to this channel at the time of the revolt in order to hide from the Romans.

In excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is jointly carrying out with the Elad Association in the Walls around Jerusalem National Park, approximately 70 meters of Jerusalem’s main drainage channel from the time of the Second Temple period have been exposed so far. The channel is located along the route from the Temple Mount to the Shiloah Pool. The channel, which passes beneath the main road of the city and apparently continues to Nahal Kidron on its way to the Dead Sea, drained the rainfall of ancient Jerusalem; the Jewish quarter, the western region of the City of David and the Temple Mount.

The channel is built of ashlar stones and is covered with heavy stone slabs that are actually the paving stones of the street. In some places the channel reaches a height of about 3 meters and is one meter wide, so that it is possible to walk in it comfortably.

According to the excavation directors, Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa and Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in the last two thousand years the valley has become blocked with thick layers of alluvium and collapse. Therefore the Israel Antiquities Authority was asked to excavate some 10 meters for the purpose of uncovering the main road of Jerusalem and the channel below it. “There is evidence in the writings of Josephus Flavius, the historian who described the revolt, the conquest and the destruction of Jerusalem, that numerous people took shelter in the channel and even lived in it for a period until they succeeded to flee the city through its southern end," they added.

Pottery shards, fragments of vessels, and coins from the end of the Second Temple period, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 CE, were discovered inside the channel.

The northern part of the channel, which is still unexcavated, apparently reaches the area of the Western Wall where in the past a large drainage channel was found that is the continuation of the channel that was exposed in the southern part of the City of David. The construction of the channel is characterized by its advanced technology. The further south one goes in the channel the deeper it is below the surface level so as to allow the rainwater to flow to Nahal Kidron.

The preceding was provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority via Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Beehives dating back to biblical times are discovered in Tel Rehov

TEL REHOV, Israel (Press Release)--Archaeological proof of the Biblical description of Israel really as “the land of milk and honey” (or at least the latter) has been uncovered by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology.

Amihai Mazar, Eleazar L. Sukenik Professor of Archaeology at the Hebrew University, revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the Biblical period has been found in excavations he directed this summer at Tel Rehov in Israel’s Beth Shean Valley. This is the earliest apiary to be revealed to date in an archaeological excavation anywhere in the ancient Near East, said Prof. Mazar. It dates from the 10th to early 9th centuries B.C.E.

Tel Rehov is believed to have been one of the most important cities of Israel during the Israelite monarchy. The beehives there were found in the center of a built-up area there that has been excavated since 1997 by Dr. Nava Panitz-Cohen of the Hebrew University. Three rows of beehives were found in the apiary, containing more than 30 hives. It is estimated, however, based on excavations to date, that in all the total area would have contained some 100 beehives.

Each row contained at least three tiers of hives, each of which is a cylinder composed of unbaked clay and dry straw, around 80 centimeters long and 40 centimeters in diameter. One end of the cylinder was closed and had a small hole in it, which allowed for the entry and exit of the bees. The opposite end was covered with a clay lid that could be removed when the beekeeper extracted the honeycombs. Experienced beekeepers and scholars who visited the site estimated that as much as half a ton of honey could be culled each year from these hives.

Prof. Mazar emphasizes the uniqueness of this latest find by pointing out that actual beehives have never been discovered at any site in the ancient Near East. While fired ceramic vessels that served as beehives are known in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, none were found in situ, and beekeeping on an industrial level such as the apiary at Tel Rehov is hitherto unknown in the archaeological record. Pictorial depictions of apiaries are known from Pharaonic Egypt, showing extraction of honey from stacked cylinders which are very similar to those found at Tel Rehov. (Jump to continuation)

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Iraq Debate

Levin, chairing Armed Services debate, outlines war failures

WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—One of the Senate committees addressed by Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker was the Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan), who delivered an opening statement to provide context. Here is sthe transcript of his remarks:

"Today we welcome General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker for an update on the situation in Iraq.

We thank you for your service to our country under very difficult circumstances. We ask you both to pass on our heartfelt thanks to the men and women you lead in this endeavor, particularly those who risk their lives on a daily basis. While people here have differing views of the war and will continue to vigorously debate the strategy, tactics, and policies relating to that war, we are united in our admiration and appreciation for those who serve there, and for the families who love and support them.

The assessments we will hear today follow other important assessments, including the recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, and the reports of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq and of the General Accounting Office on the Iraqi Government’s performance with regard to legislative, security and economic benchmarks it has set for itself.

There is much disagreement relative to the facts on the ground in Iraq on the issue of whether the surge has produced significant progress in terms of security. Recent public polls in Iraq indicate that Iraqi citizens feel even less secure than before. According to an ABC News analysis, “the surge broadly is seen to have done more harm than good, with 65 to 70 percent [of Iraqis] saying it's worsened rather than improved security in surge areas, security in other areas, conditions for political dialogue, the ability of the Iraqi government to do its work, the pace of reconstruction and the pace of economic development.” Is Baghdad actually safer for citizens to go about their normal business, or are large sectors of Baghdad, and electricity and fuel distribution, controlled by the Mahdi Army and neighborhood militias as detailed in The New York Times last Sunday? (Jump to continuation)

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Senator Boxer lectures Gen. Petraeus during today's hearing on Iraq War

WASHINGTON (Press Release)—U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat, California) used her time at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today to ask General David Petraeus to face realities in Iraq and stop giving Congress and the American people rosy scenarios to justify a long, continuing U.S military presence in Iraq.

“This war is the biggest foreign policy mistake ever,” Boxer told General Petraeus. “It took our eye off defeating the terrorists, led by Osama bin Laden, who killed our people, six years ago today. The greatest mistake because it has strained our military and our national guard. And it is the greatest mistake because we have lost so many of our own and so many are wounded.”

Senator Boxer reminded General Petraeus that he told the Boston Globe in November 2003, “We want to be seen as an army of liberation and not an army of occupation…there is a half-life on our role here, you wear out your welcome at some point. It doesn’t matter how helpful you are. We aren’t here to stay.”

Boxer also pointed to a new BBC/ABC News Poll that shows 79 percent of Iraqis oppose the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, and 70 percent of Iraqis believe that the surge has made the security situation worse.

Boxer told General Petraeus, “We are sending our troops where they’re not wanted, with no end in sight, into the middle of a civil war, into the middle of the mother of all mistakes. Please, General, don’t do what you did in 2004 when you painted a rosy scenario. Consider that others could be right. Listen to the Iraqi people, the American people, the majority of the Congress.”

Boxer concluded, “Call me old fashioned—you have a country, you defend it.”

The preceding was provided by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's office

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Cardin skeptical 'surge' tactic works

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)--At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, Maryland) today questioned the success of the “surge” strategy, pointing to several recent reports to Congress that made clear that Iraq remains wracked by sectarian violence and the continued failure of the Iraqi government and Iraqi National Police force.

Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding Bush Administration strategy to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq last spring to reduce violence and bring political stability to the war-torn nation.

“I applaud Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker’s efforts, but I think the facts are the facts – U.S. troops remain in the midst of a civil war and Iraq remains a deadly place for both U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians.”

The Senator stressed: “While certain areas may be safer, we have seen an escalation of violence in other areas. In August, the National Intelligence Estimate reports that the level of overall violence in Iraq, including attacks on civilians, remains high and will continue to remain high for the foreseeable future.”

Senator Cardin pointed out that Iraq may be safer in certain regions, “but much of that can be attributed to the fact that more than 1.1 million Iraqis have fled their homes to escape the violence. We have seen sectarian cleansing in certain areas, and that is no recipe for stability.”

In pointing to last week’s General Accounting Office report and the Jones Report, Senator Cardin said, “I do not see any independent evidence that increased U.S. troop strength has led to greater civilian security or political stability. The Senator has called for an international effort to stabilize Iraq. He also said we need a change of policy in Iraq -- “one that will remove U.S. troops from a civil war.”

The preceding was provided by Sen. Benjamin Cardin's office

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Feingold says Iraq war diverted attention from Al Qaeda threat

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—The following comments by Senator Russell Feingold (Democrat, Wisconsin) were excerpted from the transcript of the hearing on Iraq today by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

"Mr. Chairman, it is simply tragic that six years to the day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, our attention is so focused on what has been the greatest mistake in the fight against Al Qaida, and that's the Iraq war. Both yesterday at the House hearings and today there has been virtually no reference by either the members of Congress or the witnesses to the broader context outside of Iraq.

"I strongly supported the decision to go to war in Afghanistan, which served as a sanctuary for Al Qaida. The war in Iraq has been a terrible diversion from Afghanistan and from what should be a global fight against a global enemy. As this summer's declassified NIE confirmed, Al Qaida remains the most serious threat to the United States, and key elements of that threat have been regenerated or even enhanced. While our attention and resources have been focused on Iraq, Al Qaida has protected its safe haven in Pakistan and increased cooperation with regional terrorist groups.

"So the question we must answer is not whether we are winning or losing in Iraq, but whether Iraq is helping or hurting our efforts to defeat Al Qaida. That is the lesson of 9/11, and it's a lesson we must remember today, and I would say every single day."

The preceding was provided by the office of Sen. Russell Feingold

Commentary
9/11 anniversary reminds that in Iraq too, wreckers try to undo builders

By Shoshana Bryen

WASHINGTON, D.C. —It's not just the symbolism of Gen. Petraeus's report to the President at the anniversary of September 11th; it is the very real connection between conclusions about Iraq and the very American question, "Are we safe yet?" Our enemies, Islamist jihadis of both Sunni and Shiite persuasion believe they can continue this war indefinitely. The better question then is, "Have we become more adept at fighting the enemy we face?"

In WWII, land equaled success - the farther across Europe we advanced, the closer we were to victory in the German homeland. The atomic bomb was the result of understanding the fanatical nature of Japan's planned defense of its homeland.

Al Qaeda, not being a country but an ideology, has no homeland; it has only land on which it sits. Not burdened with a mechanical army or land it must defend to survive, it morphs faster than we do. In the digital age, it can penetrate silently and spread its ideology without resistance until the time is ripe to activate its capabilities.

In Iraq, al Qaeda tried to restore Sunni hegemony after the fall of Saddam. Operatives knew they couldn't overthrow the Shi'ite-led government, so they tried to open a civil war at the local level and to undermine the government's ability to provide security and services to the people. Car bombs in crowded places for the first, attacks on oil facilities and electricity grids for the second. They are terrorists, but functionally their job is "wrecking," and they've been very good at it. They caused thousands of deaths and widespread damage, and the Iraqi people do doubt their government's ability to protect and help them. The United States and the Iraqi governments have spent billions trying to fix what the wreckers wreck.

Building is expensive; wrecking is cheap. Building is hard; wrecking is easy. When builders fail, they care; when wreckers fail, they try again. People are impatient with building; people are afraid of wreckers, which makes Iraqis more likely to complain about the U.S. than about the terrorists. Builders have to be very good for a very long time; wreckers only have to be determined.

That understanding - gained both by Americans and the Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar - led to changes in our operation in Iraq and a changing of sides for the local Sunnis. Al Qaeda has been dispossessed of land on which it sat and from which it made life miserable for Iraqis of all stripes. Dispossessing them in Anbar is not the same as defeating them, but it makes it harder for them to organize, train and operate; harder to wreck what the Iraqis and we build. To the question, "Have we become more adept?" the answer is yes, but we're not safe yet; we're not there yet.

Here at home, there hasn't been a major terrorist attack since 9-11-01, and for that we are grateful to all who protect us. But just as we are not done with al Qaeda yet, we have to assume they are not done with us.

Bryen is director of special projects for the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs

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United States of America

Hadassah demonstrates solidarity with Virginia Tech in pre 9/11 ceremony

BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Press Release)—In the shadow of the September 11th anniversary, Hadassah leaders acknowledged another American tragedy this past weekend when they traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to give comfort to Jewish students as they begin the new academic year at Virginia Tech. Some 60 members from Hadassah Southern Seaboard Region held their annual board meeting in the southwestern Virginia college town to show their solidarity with the students who had suffered so much when a deranged classmate killed more than 30 students and professors in April.

The group initiated contact with the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Student Life on campus shortly after the tragedy occurred. It was determined that rather than providing immediate comfort to the students that help in the future would be needed. The weekend before the high holidays was agreed upon.

A number of those participating in the events traveled on Friday so they could join the students for Shabbat dinner and services, with baked goods for the Oneg Shabbat homemade by the group. On Saturday, they attended morning services and met with members of the Blacksburg Jewish community throughout the day. Hillel students later conducted havdallah services and opened the board meeting with the Virginia Tech fight song.

At Friday night’s dinner, Mindy Bloom, president of Hadassah Southern Seaboard greeted the kids with: “You’re probably wondering, why are the Hadassah ladies here? We’re here because you’re here. We are here to be with you and to not only tell you, but to show you we care.”

As a demonstration of the connection they made with the students, Hadassah members presented the students with 300 of their own Virginia Tech/Hokie kippot in the school’s colors, orange and maroon.

“Early in our conversations with [Hillel Director] Sue Kurtz, we learned that there always seems to be a shortage of kippot around Hillel here at Tech. To remedy that situation, Hadassah Southern Seaboard proudly presents you with your very own kippot. Our wish is that you wear it for celebrations and happy occasions!” Bloom told the students.

Sunday’s highlight was a ceremony commemorating those lost in the attack. Certificates were presented both to the university and to Marlena Librescu (in absentia), widow of a slain professor, Liviu Librescu, acknowledging the 400 Jewish National Fund trees purchased by the Danville, VA chapter of Hadassah in memory of those slain.

The preceding was provided by Hadassah

Interfaith website will teach curious Muslims about Judaism

NEW YORK (Press Release) – AskMusa.org officially launched on Monday, September 10th at The New York Tolerance Center with an event highlighted by the gathering of Arab diplomats, Muslim and other interfaith leaders.

Oman’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Fuad Al-Hinai, was among the many esteemed guests who were treated to a visual website tour and speeches by representatives of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the LibForAll Foundation, among others.

Leaders from the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities gathered in support of the revolutionary website, which offers scholarly and timely essays on aspects of Judaism by prominent Jewish scholars and authors, as well as answers questions about Judaism posted by site visitors in five languages: English, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Bahasa.

The concept of www.AskMusa.org is brainchild of Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. His meetings with Imams and other Muslims in Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Indonesia and India led him to discover that many among the most highly educated Muslims generally know very little about the most basic tenets of Judaism.

Mohammed Kahn, a Muslim-American interfaith activist who traveled with Rabbi Cooper to Sudan and Israel, and one of the event’s featured speakers, stated, “Many religious Muslims are simply unaware of how much our Faiths have in common. My hope is that www.AskMusa.org will create a bridge of knowledge and understanding between Muslims and Jews.”

The launch opens a new front in the digital era in the fight to combat antiSemitism and erase the myths about Judaism and the Holocaust currently being propagated on the Internet by Muslim extremists and antisemitic regimes. Provocative, stimulating essays are expected to solicit honest, authentic responses and questions from Muslim readers. While scholars from The Simon Wiesenthal Center will answer each question as it is submitted, when necessary, the anonymity of those asking will be protected from the prying eyes of oppressive regimes and internet hackers.

In addition to the essays and live responses, www.AskMusa.org will break digital ground by offering a video of Holocaust survivor Sol Teichman speaking about his experience at this year’s Religious Summit Bali Conference in Arabic, something previously unavailable to Muslims.

The preceding was provided by the Wiesenthal Center

Click the ad above to go to the "I'm here for you baby" website

ADL urges Jewish institutions to be security conscious over holidays

NEW YORK (Press Release)—In advance of the Jewish High Holidays, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has once again urged Jewish synagogues and community institutions across the country to take stock of the security measures they currently have in place to make sure they are adequate.

ADL's regional offices are also conducting local security training seminars in partnership with law enforcement officials to help Jewish institutions review their security plans. The Jewish High Holy Days commence on the evening of September 12 with Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the Jewish calendar year.

"We always need to be conscious of the security needs of the Jewish community," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "This imperative is especially important around the High Holidays, when Jews gather together to worship. The community's heightened visibility at this season is often tempting to perpetrators of anti-Semitic vandalism and harassment, so we must be vigilant."

In a message to the community, ADL pointed out that "Good security isn't only about cameras, locks or fences. It's about people being aware of what's going on around them. It's about good planning. It's about building relationships with your local police. And it's an ongoing process."

A longtime leader in security awareness, ADL's resources, including its security manual, Protecting Your Jewish Institution: Security Strategies for Today's Dangerous World, are available at www.adl.org/security.

The preceding was provided by the Anti-Defamation League

Features

The Jewish Grapevine

AROUND THE TOWN—Rabbi Wayne Dosick and his wife Ellen Kaufman Dosick are co-authors of 20 Minute Kabbalah, which is described in its sub-title as "the daily personal spiritual practice that brings you to God, your soul-knowing and your heart's desires." They plan to introduce the concepts contained within the book first at a book signing on September 30, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at their home at 3207 Cadencia in La Costa, and a week later, on Sunday, October 7, at a four-hour workshop beginning at 2 p.m. at Temple Solel Cantor Kathy Robbins will contribute some of the melodies that can accompany meditative prayer. RSVPs should be sent to the Elijah Minyan (which Rabbi Dosick leads) at 3207 Cadencia, La Costa, CA 92009. Dosick said the fee for the workshop is on a sliding scale, with participants choosing whether they wih to pay $36, $54, or $72.

●Nehama Eilfort was led to believe that the get-together on Monday night would be a small gathering of women. In fact, however, her husband Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort of Chabad of La Costa had a big surprise planned. Congregation membersof both genders and friends from beyond showed up to wish Nehama a Happy 40th Birthday.

●Phyllis Schwartz, president and genral manager of KNSD (NBC 7/39) has been promoted to executive vice president of the NBC Network for news, promotion and original conten for the company's stations division. She will focus on helping 10 NBC owned stations to develop local coverage. A search for her replacement in San Diego is underway.

CYBER-REFERRALS—San Diego Jewish World appreciates and thanks those individuals and organizations which recommend or post stories of interest to the worldwide Jewish community:

● Israel's Consulate General in Los Angeles: A story over YNET quoting a senior IDF official that checkpoints should not be removed from the West Bank prior to the High Holidays because terrorists appear highly motivated to attack during that time. Here is the link.

● Bruce Kesler: A story on the Campus Watch website in which Steven Schwartz, son of a Jewish father and Christian mother who converted to Islam and now serves as director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, criticizes Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz for turning a blind eye to the extremists within Islam. Here is the link.

●United Jewish Communities: A story that Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas want their teams to reach some agreements before the start of an international conference on the Middle East. Here is the link.

JEWS and POLITICS

● Betty Byrnes is hosting a kickoff fundraiser for Marti Emerald, the local television troubleshooter, who is running for the 7th City Council District in San Diego. It will be at the home of Byrnes, a former president of Congregation Beth Israel, at 4901 Yerba Buena Drive in the Alvarado Estates. Suggested contribution is $270 per person.

● San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced that Helen Ferrell, 62, former director of the Robert Egger-South Bay Community Park, was arraigned today on embezzling charges. Ferrell pleaded innocent to charges that she stole more than $74,000. Dumanis said the charges "send a clear message that any government employee who abuses the public trust will be held accountable for their actions. This latest case is just one example of our office's continuing commitment to prosecuting public integrity cases."

● Rep. Henry A. Waxman (Democrat, California) and three other federal legislators on Monday released a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealing that more must be done to define the federal government’s role, promote interagency cooperation, and develop a national strategy to deal with pandemic influenza. The bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the Administration to address the problems identified in the GAO report. “It’s alarming to learn that this far into the process, key federal leadership roles in a pandemic have not been adequately defined, much less tested through rigorous exercises and drills,” said Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “It is vital to resolve questions of turf, responsibility, and performance in advance, rather than in the heat of an actual pandemic. But the GAO observed that the only pandemic exercise involving cabinet members conducted to date took place nearly two years ago, in 2005.”

A happy, healthy
Shana Tovah

Marty Block
Government Affairs chair
United Jewish Federation

News Sleuths:

Watching the media gathering and reporting the news of Jewish interest

Who: Sean McCormack, Spokesman
What: Press Briefing
Where: U.S. State Department
When: September 11, 2007
Subject: International Conference on Mideast

QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit about the diplomacy that's taking place on preparing for the Middle East meeting, or conference or whatever you may like to call it? Who is the Secretary speaking to these days? What are her plans? How far ahead have you gotten towards planning it? There was a meeting yesterday where negotiating teams were drawn up. Are you --

MR. MCCORMACK: Between the Israelis and Palestinians, right.

QUESTION: Between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Are you hoping that there's going to be some sort of paper that's drawn up before the meeting? Or maybe you can just bring us up to date.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, well -- we'll see. Look, there's going to be a lot of diplomacy between now and whenever we have this international meeting. We haven't issued invitations yet. I can't tell you when the -- where or when at this point. We're going to be working those things out in the coming weeks.

One of the diplomatic activities you see at various levels -- between us and the Israelis, us and the Palestinians, Israelis and Palestinians, us with the Quartet, the Quartet with others -- this all feeds into this meeting right now. And we're working through and defining the modalities: What are going to be the outcomes of the meeting; what are going to be the things that might be on the table prior to the meeting? That's all part of the diplomacy that we have ongoing.

In addition to what the Israelis and the Palestinians are doing, I would expect the Secretary is going to be traveling out there probably next week. We'll get the dates and all the logistical details for that soon. There's just going to be meeting with both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to try to move the process forward, do a little review of the progress that they've made, see how we can help move the process forward.

I would expect at the UN General Assembly, the Secretary will have a number of meetings dealing with this topic as well. So there's going to be a lot of diplomatic activity that you see unfolding over the coming months. And from that you will see emerge some results that will feed into this international meeting and we'll see what the results from the international meeting are.

QUESTION: What about the Saudis? Has the Secretary been in contact with, you know, the Saudi Ambassador or the Foreign Minister, or have you been pulling in Saudi officials to try and work out --

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we're in touch with the Saudis, as well as others in the region who have an interest in moving forward a peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. I can't point to any one meeting right now. Remember, the Secretary was working from home for the last couple weeks in August. She came in for a couple days towards the end of August, so she had some meetings with her staff. Her staff has been busy. David Welch has been quite busy, as he always is, working with officials throughout the region, trying to move this process forward. Not something I'm -- I'm not going to get into the details of exactly what he's doing. There's a lot of this stuff behind the scenes -- better that way, oftentimes. So we'll try to keep you up to date (inaudible).

QUESTION: Are you optimistic that you're going to have a substantial enough meeting that the Saudis will attend?

MR. MCCORMACK: We'll see. We haven't issued invitations yet. Okay.

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Greater San Diego County

Scott Fried at SDJA Photo by William Bohannon, SDJA

AIDS speaker commands student attention at SDJA assembly

By Harry Doshay

SAN DIEGO—When San Diego Jewish Academy high school students packed into the hall known as the Ulam to hear Scott Fried today, the meeting started like many others with students talking and no listening whatsoever going on.

That quickly changed. Fried got personal.

The lecturer-author’s voice rising and falling with the emotion of his story, he talked to the students about what had happened to him; how he had gotten AIDS. He told what he was thinking when he had unsafe sex. And something happened that doesn’t happen often in an assembly.

The students listened. They listened raptly.

Mara Friedlaender, a ninth grader, remarked “I was really touched. I can't say I think there was one person in the room who wasn't.” Every student had his eyes on Scott Fried.

When he talked to them about “closets” people hide in, about cutting themselves, about drugs, about alcohol, people looked and listened. He wasn’t preaching, he was just talking to us about his own personal experience, and anyone looking at the audience could tell that the students were affected. When he talked about “people whose arms we fall into,” and “closets we hide in,” everyone seemed to be looking inward.

After the assembly, almost every student came out looking like something had clicked, Amanda Lazare, a tenth grader, said “I think he said what needed to be said and didn't hold back.” She went on to say “it was more interesting because they brought someone in who was actually living with HIV, and not just talking about it; telling you about it.”

When asked if Fried having HIV made him more credible to her, Friedlaender responded “Yes… He was living proof this could happen.”

Fried, who describes himself on his website as a health educator and motivational speaker, has written several books including If I Grow Up: Talking With Teens About AIDS, Love and Staying Alive.

Doshay and Bohannon are journalism students at SDJA and interns for San Diego Jewish World

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Adat Shalom programs geared
both to active minds and bodies

POWAY, California (Press Release)—From dancing in the aisles to the music of its own Simchat Shabbat Band during Simchat Torah celebrations, and on through a congregational tour of Eastern Europe in late April and early May, Temple Adat Shalom has scheduled Jewish programming for people who like to keep both their minds and their bodies active.

The Simchat Torah celebration at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, October 3, marks the completion of the reading of the Torah, and beginning the cycle anew. As Torah scrolls are paraded through the Reform congregation at 15905 Pomerado Road, the band, led by Cantor Lori Wilinsky Frank and clarinetist Robert Zelickman of the Second Avenue Ensemble, will provide joyful marching music.

The following morning, sedate Yizkor services, commemorating deceased family members, will mark another aspect of the emotional and intellectual holiday.

On Sunday, October 7, Dr. Steven Windmueller, who is dean of Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, will pose the question "Are Jews Still Liberal?" His lecture on the issue begins at 4 p.m. According to a bulletin from the congregation, "Windmueller is expert on Reform Judaism teachings and issues and with the election close at hand, he has insights into the so-called Jewish vote."

Did we say Jews who like to keep active? On Sunday, October 21, the parking lot of the Temple will be filled with bounce houses, food stations, games and information booths, with proceeds going to the support of Adat Shalom's Ganon Gil Preschool. This 3rd annual "Bounce-a-Rama" costs $10 for the first child in and $5 for every child thereafter to attend.

It will be Havdalah and a movie at the temple, from 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening, October 27. Wondrous Oblivion, set in England in the 1960s, deals with a Jewish boy coming to grips with racism and the meaning of friendship.

On Sunday, October 28, the congregation hosts a "Western Hoe-Down" square dance, western costume contest, and barbecue dinner. The square dance will be called by a professional caller from Wranglers Square Dance Club of Escondido. The event, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., costs $16 FOR persons 14 and up; $6 for children ages 7 to 13, and is free for kids 6 and under. To register, visit the congregation's website.

Although the April 28-May 9 Eastern Europe trip, to be led by Cantor Lori Frank and her husband, Jeff Frank, is still some time off, it's not too early to prepare. "The tour promises to be exciting and memorable as we explore Jewish history in Warsaw, Kracow, Budapest and Prague," said the cantor. The trip is timed to permit congregants to join the 'March of the Living' at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex in Poland.

The trip also will include a cruise on the Danube River in Hungary and a Chopin concert in Hungary. Cost for the 12-day tour, including airfare, hotel accommodations, touring and sightseeing, various ground transfers, daily breakfasts and five dinners is $3,799 per person (based on two people sharing a room).

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Arts & Entertainment

AARON’S Wood #1; April 2007; 46 x 37 in.; sealed digital print;
Courtesy of the artist

AARON, the art-conceiving and executing computer, on display
at Museum of Contemporary Art

By Gail Feinstein Forman

SAN DIEGO – Harold Cohen is both an artist and a computer genius. The British painter decided to combine his two loves by teaching a computer to create art, a program he named AARON.

That was 35 years ago, and over the decades AARON has become increasingly sophisticated. First, it churned out black-and-white images, but today its various abstractions and natural life forms, are in the colors of AARON’s choosing. The computer makes its own array of splashy colors and designs, mixes its own paints, chooses its colors, and it even decides on its own when the picture is finished. Cohen doesn’t control or manipulate AARON’s artistic decisions like typical computer art programs. AARON designs without human intervention.

Harold Cohen is a La Jolla resident and Professor Emeritas of Visual Arts at UCSD. In 1968, he came to UCSD for a one-year appointment as a Visiting Professor. He later worked in Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Lab in 1973, and began his research in autonomous machine-making art. He abandoned his own traditional painting and concentrated on creating a machine with the creativity of a human painter. Cohen wrote every aspect of the AARON program and entered into a new artistic world of technological possibilities. He explained his early fascination with this emerging technology in an interview in Genetics and Culture .

"I wrote it to discover what an independent (machine) intelligence might do, given some knowledge of the world and some rudimentary physical capabilities. And, in the process, to have IT teach ME about possibilities I hadn't imagined. I'd be happier if AARON’s work in the future were LESS like human work, not MORE like human work. And this pursuit of discovery has occupied Cohen on a daily basis for the last 35 years.

The AARON exhibit at San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown is set up in a separate room of the museum and consists of a huge 4-panel art piece and several smaller panel compositions of fairly abstract art. All the pictures speak in 1980’s psychedelic colors of green, purple and pink variations. Sometimes the canvasses are busy with audacious designs of intersecting lines, shapes, and bright neon-like colors; a few are quieter and have less on the “page.” Though AARON’s capabilities have a large range within the realm of people, natural objects like trees and potted plants, the paintings here are mixed conglomerations of these objects, rather than more simple, more defined compositions that Aaron has produced over time.

The most intriguing aspect of the exhibit is the video demonstration of AARON at work located in an adjacent room to the paintings. There is excitement in watching a canvas fill with unexpected lines, and then fill in chunks of images or background, in an ever-changing scenario.

AARON's works have been exhibited at London's Tate Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Art, as well as in Science Centers such as The Boston Science Museum and the Los Angeles Museum of Art and Industry. AARON's work has aroused the interest of many art collectors and many of its paintings sell for $2,000.00 or more. AARON has its critics-those who question if a machine can really create art. And after seeing the exhibit, this question does linger---Is AARON really speaking for himself, or like Moses' brother, is AARON speaking for Harold Cohen?

AARON continues at San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown through September 23.

Copse #10 - 060510; May 2006; 92 x 92 in.; two panels 82 x 46 in. each; sealed digital print; Courtesy of the artist

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Story continuations

Ancient beehives...
(Continued from above)

Cylindrical clay beehives placed in horizontal rows, similar to those found at Tel Rehov, are well-known in numerous contemporary traditional cultures in Arab villages in Israel, as well as throughout the Mediterranean. The various products of beehives are put to diverse use: the honey is, of course, a delicacy, but is also known for its medicinal and cultic value. Beeswax was also utilized in the metal and leather industries, as well as for writing material when coated on wooden tablets.

The term “honey” appears 55 times in the Bible, 16 of which as part of the image of Israel as “the land of milk and honey”. It is commonly believed that the term refers to honey produced from fruits such as dates and figs. Bees’ honey, on the other hand, is mentioned explicitly only twice, both related to wild bees. The first instance is how Samson culled bees’ honey from inside the corpse of the lion in the Soreq Valley (Judges 14: 8-9). The second case is the story of Jonathan, King Saul’s son, who dipped his hand into a honeycomb during the battle of Mikhmash (Samuel I 14:27).

While the Bible tells us nothing about beekeeping in Israel at that time, the discovery of the apiary at Tel Rehov indicates that beekeeping and the extraction of bees’ honey and honeycomb was a highly developed industry as early as the First Temple period. Thus, it is possible that the term “honey” in the Bible indeed pertains to bees’ honey.

Cultic objects were also found in the apiary, including a four-horned altar adorned with figures of naked fertility goddesses, as well as an elaborately painted chalice. This could be evidence of deviant cultic practices by the ancient Israelites related to the production of honey and beeswax.

Study of the beehives found at Tel Rehov is being conducted with the participation of various researchers. Dr. Guy Bloch of the Silberman Institute of Life Sciences of the Hebrew University is studying the biological aspects of the finds; he already discovered parts of bees’ bodies in the remains of honeycomb extracted from inside the hives. Dr. Dvori Namdar of the Weizmann Institute of Science succeeded in identifying beeswax molecules from the walls of the beehives, and Prof. Mina Evron from Haifa University is analyzing the pollen remains in the hives.

Dating of the beehives was done by measuring the decaying of the 14C isotope in organic materials, using grains of wheat found next to the beehives. This grain was dated at the laboratory of Groningen University in Holland to the period between the mid-10th Century B.C.E. until the early 9th century B.C.E. This is the time period attributed to the reign of King Solomon and the first kings of the northern Kingdom of Israel following the division of the monarchy. The city of Rehov is indeed mentioned in an Egyptian inscription dating to the time of the Pharaoh Shoshenq I (Biblical Shishak), whom the Bible notes as the contemporary of King Solomon and who invaded Israel following that monarch’s death.

A particularly fascinating find at the site is an inscription on a ceramic storage jar found near the beehives that reads “To nmsh”. This name was also found inscribed on another storage jar from a slightly later occupation level at Tel Rehov, dated to the time of the Omride Dynasty in the 9th century BCE. Moreover, this same name was found on a contemporary jar from nearby Tel Amal, situated in the Gan HaShelosha National Park (Sachne).

The name “Nimshi” is known in the Bible as the name of the father and in several verses the grandfather of Israelite King Jehu, the founder of the dynasty that usurped power from the Omrides (II Kings: 9-12). It is possible that the discovery of three inscriptions bearing this name in the same region and dating to the same period indicates that Jehu’s family originated from the Beth Shean Valley and possibly even from the large city located at Tel Rehov. The large apiary discovered at the site might have belonged to this illustrious local clan.

The excavations at Tel Rehov were supported by John Camp from Minneapolis in the U.S. with the participation of archaeological students from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and numerous volunteers.

{Marc Kligman, who combines being a sports agent with his life as an observant Jew, invites you to listen. Click on the ad above for more information}

Levin-Iraq...
(Continued from above)

While the facts relating to security are debated and are debatable, there seems to be little dispute on three key points that go to the heart of the matter:

First, the stated purpose of the surge – to give Iraqi politicians breathing space to work out a political settlement – has not been achieved.

Second, there will be no end to violence until Iraqi national leaders work out their political differences. As the Jones Commission reported last week: “Political reconciliation is the key to ending sectarian violence in Iraq.”

And third, the Iraqi politicians haven’t done that. They haven’t kept the commitments they made a year ago to set the date for provincial elections, to approve a hydrocarbon law, to approve a de-Ba’athification law, and to submit constitutional amendments to a referendum.

General Petraeus said three years go that Iraqi political leaders were “stepping forward,” leading their country “courageously,” and “making progress,” in his words. Well, if they were, progress sure has stalled politically.

Ambassador Crocker is telling Congress that Iraqi leaders have the “will to tackle the nation’s pressing problems” and “approach the task with a deep sense of commitment and patriotism” even though they ignore their own benchmarks, and he inappropriately compares Iraq’s sectarian strife and slaughter to our “civil rights movement.”

So, the Administration’s message to Iraqi leaders continues to be that they are doing just fine. That is the exact wrong message to send to Iraqi leaders who dawdle while their nation is torn apart by sectarian strife, and while their people are killed and forcibly ejected by sectarian militias or killed if they refuse to be ethnically cleansed. The Iraqi politicians dawdle while our casualties and our expenditures keep climbing.

GAO told us last week that most of the key promises of Iraq’s political leaders – the benchmarks they set for themselves with relevant timetables – have been ignored by those leaders.

On January 14, 2007, President Bush said, “America will hold the Iraqi government to benchmarks it has announced.” Those words ring hollow – there have been no consequences for the Iraqi political leaders’ failures to do what President Bush said they must do.

Year after year, the Administration has touted progress in Iraq along with calls for patience. It has been a litany of delusion. Just listen to President Bush’s repeated claims of progress:

In October of 2003, President Bush stated: “We’re making progress about improving the lives of the people there in Iraq.”

On September 25, 2004, the President said: “We’re making steady progress in implementing our five-step plan....”

On October 28, 2005, the President said: “Iraq has made incredible political progress....”

On May 25, 2006, the President said: “We’re making progress on all fronts.”

On March 19, 2007, the President said: “There has been good progress.”

And on July 4, 2007, the President said: “Victory in this struggle will require more patience....”

There has been little progress on the political front, and the American people’s patience with Iraq’s political leaders has run out. Success in Iraq depends on Iraqi leaders finally seeing the end of the open-ended U.S. commitment. Success depends on doing what James Baker, Lee Hamilton, and the rest of the Iraqi Study Group said we should do a year ago: “the United States should not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq” and “if the Iraqi government does not make substantial progress toward the achievement of milestones on national reconciliation, security, and governance, the United States should reduce its political, military, or economic support for the Iraqi government.”

Success also depends on a transition of missions. According to the Iraq Study Group, “by the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq. At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams, and in training, equipping, advising, force protection, and search and rescue.”

Finally presenting Iraq’s political leaders with a timetable