Early Afternoon roundup

You know, the Republicans are in trouble. Have any Democrats announced for Governor? Nope. Other than Charlie Owen...

Prarie Wind is getting soem good reviews. Apparently, Young's bandmate, Stephen Stills, was on The Tonight Show the same night as Jennifer Garner...

Of course, I am uncomfortable with the rising anti-Zionism in the Democratic Party. It saddens me, too, as a Democrat.

The rock the Jewish protesters faced was their impassioned opposition to the Iraq war, while the hard place was the vituperative anti-Israeli sentiment among some of their anti-war allies.

Between sermons, worshippers discussed which events to attend that weekend and which to avoid because of the likely presence of virulent anti-Zionism.

The service, a joyful melding of psalms and protest songs, offered Jewish protesters a way through, Waskow said afterward.

"We figured out a way to honor Shabbat and to celebrate the Jewish values of Israel and the Jewish values of ‘seek peace and pursue it,’" said Waskow, who heads Philadelphia’s Shalom Center.

It’s a dilemma that the national Jewish leadership may soon face as support for the war falls. In surveys last year, U.S. Jews opposed the war in even greater numbers than non-Jews, while recent surveys show that a majority of Americans oppose how the Bush administration is handling the situation.

Jewish officials say privately that they’re seeking an outlet for burgeoning anti-war sentiment at the grassroots level, but the problem is that some of the war’s leading opponents — such as Cindy Sheehan, a mother whose son died in the war — equate the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

Some of the best-organized groups — and those likeliest to attend anti-war protests — do not stop at criticizing Israeli policy but reject Israel’s very existence. International A.N.S.W.E.R., a cosponsor of several of the weekend events, speaks of Israel as "within the borders of historic Palestine."

Jewish protesters spoke of their discomfiture at sharing space with placards accusing Israel of being the dog that wags the American tail.

Waskow avoided events associated with A.N.S.W.E.R. Rabbi Michael Lerner, of the San Francisco-based Tikkun community, joined those events, but told followers that he wished organizers had heeded his calls to distance the rally from A.N.S.W.E.R.

That company has kept many of the top Jewish groups silent since the war began in March 2003. Prior to the war, the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox streams each issued statements supporting its objectives — the removal of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction — but stopping short of endorsing the war outright. More than two years later that equivocation continues. Spokesmen for the Reform and Orthodox movements referred JTA to their prewar statement, and a Conservative movement official said there was little demand at the grassroots for an organizational position.

"We haven’t had any discussions recently as an organization," said Mark Waldman, director of public policy for United Synagogue.

Jewish defense organizations and pro-Israel groups by and large also expressed support for Bush administration objectives at the war’s outset, but stopped short of explicitly endorsing the war.

Recently there have been signs of a shift toward criticism. The Reform movement and the Anti-Defamation League noted with alarm revelations last year that captives in U.S. custody had been tortured.

Those images prompted Rabbis for Human Rights-North America to launch a rabbinic letter in January, citing Jewish teachings, to call on President Bush and Congress to end torture, inhumane treatment and degradation of captives. Administration officials say some of the conventions against torture do not apply to captives suspected of terrorism because they are not traditional soldiers in uniform.

Meanwhile, a trip to Israel has mended ties between Jews and Protestants.

Howard Dean blogs about his trip to Israel via NJDC.

John Roberts was confirmed as Chief Justice with a vote of 78-22.

The Red Sox trail the Yankees by one game and are tied with the Indians for the wild card. The Sox play the Yankees starting tomorrow to finish out the season.