Ambassador Dennis Ross, former U.S. Envoy to the Middle East came to Temple Sinai of North Dade yesterday late afternoon to advance the cause of Barak Obama to become President of the United States.

Mr. Ross made no bones about it.  He knows Mr. Obama and spent time with him in the Middle East as well being a student of the business of “Policy” and the foibles of “Politics”. He believes that the Democratic Party Politics which are pushing Mr. Obama towards the White House is better than the Republican Party which is just an extension of the Bush years in the White House.  There is a difference between the Parties and Mr. Ross continued to make a distinction between the meaning of Policy and what Politics not only implies but practices.

My dictionary says the following: 1. a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc. 2. And then 3. But I like 4 the best: Prudence, practical wisdom or expediency.  5 brings it back to: Government: polity.  These are derived from – government, civil administration.

I can’t find too much difference between the above definitions and Politics,  

since they seem to go right back to politics for their meaning.  It appears that Mr. Ross has made a career of trying to change the course of actions in the Middle East to bring them under the umbrella of American Democracy and what the United Nations stood for when it was formed at the end of World War II.

Today, expediency seems to be the watchword.  You do what you can to keep things even and not let them get out of hand.  The tinder box of the Middle East is ripe for the recklessness of Iran in its outright defiance of the lid other countries are trying to place on expansion of nuclear proliferation.  If Iran gets the bomb, it is clear that they would (from declarations of Mahmoud Ahmindinejab) that its first fruits would be against Israel and the United States.  Policy, here, would indicate that some moves be made towards or against Iran.  This is going on while the politics of continuing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being argued.  The United States cannot represent itself as the leading Democratic nation in the world while it is killing civilians in these two countries.

Mr. Ross who is Jewish is also making policy (not betting on it) about the security of Israel and peace between Palestinians and Israelis where an undeclared war has been going on for years. Creating a valid policy for the U.S. and Israel in that region is something Obama and McCain will have to face sooner than later. I like a policy of prudence and practical wisdom rather than doing things expeditiously.  That seems to be the patchwork approach rather than thinking things through.  Mr. Ross and the two political candidates have their work cut out for them.