I am writing this in response to a long post by the Brother-In-Law regarding Bush's "us vs. them" approach to the issues and a Jews' decision to affiliate with the Democrat or Republican party.

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I will attack the topic of Bush’s ability to see issues in shades of gray by looking at the proper role of a leader. A leader is someone who is either chosen or by natural ability stands out as a person who others look to for guidance and direction - in other words, leadership. The most important test of leadership is not in determining what goes into their decision-making process, but the end results. I would rather have a President who listened to no one and made good decisions - a natural born leader, than a President who listened to everyone and still made the wrong choices.

I would also suggest that you don’t disagree with leaders who see the world in “black and white” if they agree with your particular viewpoint. Leaders like Gandhi, MLK, Lincoln and Churchill are well-respected , either as freedom fighters or warriors, exactly because they didn’t understand the meaning of the word compromise - and they happened to come out on the right side of history. “Leaders” with nuanced views of the world like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry will never accomplish anything that will be remembered in the long run, and no memorial will be built in their name because they don’t have a message or an ideal that resonates, and any ideas they do have do not appear to be heartfelt. We need to leave the nuances of policy to our Legislative and Judicial branches. The job of the Chief Executive is to lead. And if we don’t like where he’s leading we kick him out.

Which brings me to your point about fascism. If you are going to claim that aspects of the Bush Administration resemble the root problems of fascism, we need to look at how Anarchy is part of the liberal mentality. Instead of a melting pot where the best of all cultures is merged together into something uniquely American, multiculturalism reigns. No aspect of any culture is worth more than any other, not even when compared to the "American" culture which is the result of 300+ years under the melting pot theory. It is understandable how one could become a suicide bomber. It is equally OK for a child to be raised with two daddies than with a mother and a father. Who are we to intervene when a people "chooses" to live under a dictatorship or a monarchy?

You say that a fascist governemnt plays on the fears of it's people. The word that is left out is "unfounded". The Jews weren't going to take over Germany. Islamic fundamentalists did attack our embassies, ships, discos, and ultimately the Trade Center. This has happened for 20-30 years again and again and again. Their leader's claim openly to desire the destruction of America. Heads are chopped off and videotapes are distributed proudly. You can argue about how we choose to confront the enemy, but to deny that the enemy exists is a specious argument.

What disturbs me most about your analysis is the seeming belief that evil doesn’t exist in the world - that “us versus them” is not a legitimate argument. You are also projecting your ideas onto the President which are not his. I just heard him say on Larry King very plainly that our current war is between those who believe in freedom and those who want to keep people from being free. That a person who does not believe in God is just as American as someone who does and that whoever does is American regardless of what religion they follow. I can’t seem to imagine similar words coming from the fascist dictators we all grew up learning about.

Getting back to the good vs. evil point, ever since Cain murdered Abel (please forgive the biblical reference) humans have acted unjustly against other humans. From the playground bully to the dictator who orders the deaths of millions of their own countrymen, there are people that choose to deny to others individual liberties or life itself at their whim. Our entire legal system is based on “us versus them”. The “people” versus defendant X. Not all such confrontations need end in violence or death, but there comes a point where a stance must be taken. When a group of people decide to commit a surprise attack designed to kill thousands of civilians and others cheer them on, those people have reached a point of no return and deserve death, not a place at the negotiating table. These people are evil and the world is better off without them. That does not mean that you kill because you want to, but because you have to. To paraphrase what I believe one famous Israeli leader said, I don’t hate the Arabs for what they have done to my people, I hate them for making us have to kill in order to survive.

Speaking of Israel, you may doubt the Judeo-Christian foundation of America’s principles, but that’s exactly why conservative Jews like myself don’t worry about dual loyalties. The underlying principles of both states is a combination of religious ideals and Western Enlightenment which can never be at cross-purposes. Sure there can be policy differences and questions about how to get from point A to point B, but it's hard for me to imagine truly fundamental differences ever occuring.

Lets face it, we’re are forced neither to be Jews nor Americans. A simple plane ticket will buy your way to another homeland and a profession of belief in Jesus will get you out of the Jewish faith. Any American Jew today can be a French Catholic tomorrow. Therefore my loyalty to the Jewish people (and Israel which embodies the hopes and dreams of those people) and to America are both personal decisions based on my love for each. I can love my two daughters and I can love my two countries. I consider myself lucky to live in a land where people are allowed to have a love for their homeland and express pride in their origins. That's part of what makes America great.

If all the Jews left America, the country would survive. If all the Jews left Israel, the viability of the Jewish people would be at risk. If you are Jewish and are reading this, the only reason you are alive today is because America and Britain took an “us vs. them” attitude 60 years ago. Why there were even internments and racist propaganda used by those sides to incite their people into a wartime frenzy against the “Krauts” and the “Japs”.

Thank God for that. More to come.