Were you also jealous that the US media doesn't want to ask Barak Obama any nasty questions regarding his friendship and devotion to a racist anti-semitic priest? The infatuation with a candidate, the refusal to ask hard questions, those are not good signs.

I am a ardent follower of the political campaign being fought in the US. And I can factually state that the campaign is anything but "intellectual". Barack Obama Hussein is runnig an intensive smear campaign against Sarah Palin and has attacked her family as well as her femininity. He like the Israeli left liberal politicians rely on the oppressive radical leftist media to do his bidding. The NY Times has countlessly derided John McCain's wife Cindy, most recently in a front page article this past week. The McCain camp is trying to smear Barack Hussein Obama with his past associations with the arch anti-white,anti-american,antisemetic Bishop Wright. Obama has also been a close confidant of the well known American born terrorist Bill Ayers. Yair is very naive if he believes that Americans actually understand the issues that are debated upon. Believe me most Americans vote from their gut or political affiliations without any regard to the pertinant issues. The American voter is just as 'dumb' as the Israeli voter just less transparent.

So true!

A thoughtful election taking place in the US? Give me a break! Superficiality, lies, overwhelming media bias, demagoguery...none is too vapid to be excluded from the discourse on this side of the pond. A genuine patriot, John McCain, once praised by the media (when the Annointed One Barack Hussein Obama wasn't running against him) is now slammed with overwhelming negative coverage while his opponent is praised, to hell with the truth. The question of Obama's Muslim faith and birth in Kenya - now even affirmed by a tape recording of his grandmother - is unmentioned except on the Internet. This nation is heading for a Constitutional crisis if he succeeds in lying and buying his way into the highest office of the land while the media obsess with Sarah Palin's wardrobe. I beg to disagree. Thoughtful discourse, truth and transparency disappeared in the US when the media chose the side of a Manchurian candidate and succeeded in facilitating his installation into office. If he succeeds in getting elected, soon the world - not just the US - will pay a heavy price.

Israel is not at peace, has a primarily militant society and consequently, civic issues always come short.

B"H Democracy maybe good for the nations, not for the Jews. Jews voted for all generations at Sinai. We accepted upon ourselves the Laws of Hashem and therefore to held "elections" are actually against everything and anything Judaism stands for. Jews should be busy implementing Torah, not messy, human-made and temporary legislation. The Jewish future is in Jewish institutions, not in the present Hellenistic ones.

The debates may be about politics and healthcare, but the election will be won or lost on the following: Sarah Palin's hockey mom status, John McCain's flag pins, Barack Obama's lack of flag pins, Obama's church and friend choices, Michelle Obama's dresses, Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy, race of candidate, religion of candidate, and a whole host of silly things that have absolutely nothing to do with policy. Civilized discourse? Not a chance.

WHEN I SPEAK TO AN ISRAELI CONCERNING WELFARE AND POLITICS they tell me impossible they laugh at me with this smug arrogant know all attitude as if *they know secrets. when they say you dont live here you dont know.. or they say DONT COME TO ISRAEL WE DONT NEED YOUR THINKING and this is when i am there giving a little donatipon here and there or they say OH YOURE AN AMERICAN OF COURSE you think like that since when is TORAH DIFFERENT IN AMERICA OR ISRAEL. ONLY DIFFERENCE THAT I SEE IS MANY IN AMERICA ARE NOT BRAINWASHED FROM YOUR SOCIALIST POLICTICIANS. CORRUPTION YES, BUT AMERICAN POLICTIANS GO TO JAIL .. IN ANYCASE all the signs point to WE INDIVIDUALLY,, HAVE NOT ACCEPTED G'D OF ISRAEL AS OUR PATH so G"D hits us with sufferings. many of our rabbis have become affected by the material world, AND these LOST rabbis did not give us OUR TORAH AND ARE NOT ANGELS FROM HEAVEN. SO IF WE OURSELFS GET LOST,, WE HAVE TO LOOK UP TO THE HEAVENS AND PRAY TO G'D OF ISRAEL BEGGING FOR HELP AND STRENGTH.

Any intelligent political debate or discussion in the United States is a rarity. If any Israelis really look up to the US as an example of good political discourse, I really feel bad for them - the more well-informed and well-travelled Americans generally look up to Europe for mature and intelligent discourse.

No decision made at one time can ever bind others for all time, nor should yearning for a mythic past tie people to barbarism. The Jewish future is to toss off these remnants and delusions of divinity and, with the rest of the human race, build something new and wonderful. Jews don't need Judaism, Goyim don't need Christianity, and Arabs don't need Islam.

, if you did not see this in this election and in the past who have blinders on.

Yair don't be jealous.None of them is brilliant, however I admire the honesty of the Israeli politician. He had the guts to say the naked truth even if politically incorrect. People do vote with their guts and every sensible person knows that actual politics is totally different from election promises Who would have thought that Bush who was against "nation building.prior to his elections is building not one but two nations?

Much more so than the US, Israel suffers from the party-mediated system of democracy. Voters can't choose or hold accountable the individual, only the party. They look at the man or woman at the top, ignoring the rest of the list, so they hardly know who they're getting. And, of course, they don't bother with platforms, programs, or policies because the candidates can never be held accountable for their promises (that party thing again) and, in true Israeli fashion, policies are improvised rather than thought through. There are similarities though. Money remains, as Tip O'Neil's once said, the mothers milk of politics. Obama will have spent some $600 million in his quest for the presidency. And both the US and Israel have a liberal elite media who frame the candidates according to their wont.

The problem, Yair, is in your last line - "... what does it say about him when they vote for him?" The problem is that NO ONE votes for a person here! We are allowed to vote only for a party. And the party is hardly ever responsive to even its own members, much less the public at large. What we need in Israel is REPRESENTATIVE government, not this party crony system. THEN, the public will not only become interested, but will vote for those PEOPLE who are responsible and responsive to their constituents!

Just breaking news about Obama's ties to a far left socialist/communist organization and falling funds may ruin his chances of winning the election. http://obamafarleft.notlong.com Mike P.S. After you have read the article please forward the link, especially to anyone that will vote in America.

None of us is jealous of America on any other level - we have everything that is good right here in Israel - but oh how I long for civilised debate and for interviewers who allow their interviewee to finish his sentence - without being bantered and harangued!!!! The custom of verbal abuse to ones friends began on the show Popolitica and is now an everyday occurence.

Obama's membership in the New Party is not news. You just found out about it because the media are spiking ALL nefarious associations of Obama's in a continuing relentless censorship of any news about his associations with socialists, anti-American Communists, and Black Supremacists. Unless someone breaks through the screen, this man will soon command the strongest army in the world, the Congress which pays for it, and - by appointments - the judicial which defines the law.

do you really want a moslem prime minister also? do you really want 60,000 zombies in a football stadium chanting "change!" its like the nazis in the early 30's this is the scariest time i can recall in america. antisemitism from the left is becomming "cool" - and we're going to have barak obama as president?!? mr. lapid, didn't you and your ilk cause enough damage in israel? do you need to import new catastophes?

American politicians are the same as Israeli politicians. Liars, frauds, abound. Politicians recognize that when they cannot win on merits, lies about their opponents are great tools. McCain has no other alternative, so he lies like Bush. Sr and Jr won on that basis. The "choice" of lady governor was made to expedite those lies. Politics in the USA is just as dirty as the politics you live with in Israel. Yes, there are a few honest politicians. Unfortunately they much too rare.

if you allow scum bags like Katzav the rapist, and Olmert and the untold other slime balls--you, get, frankly, exactly what you deserve.

"The fool has said in his heart, There is no G-d." You sir are a fool. It will seem like only the blink of an eye before you fall on your knees and beg for His mercy. Ah! but will it be to late?

while i usually despise yair lapids radical left wing anti religious articles in this issue he is spot on the israeli political structure and elections are a descrase to the concept of democracy

The only debate that was somewhat on topic was the 3rd debate, the other two were free airtime for the two candidates to spew their agenda. There is absolutly no difference between the two candidates!!! There will NOT be socialism if Obama is elected and there will NOT be a draft if McCain is elected! Israel will be fine and even better simply because the president will not longer be Bush! Yair, research Ron Paul.

With all due respect to Mr. Lapid, but you sir bought into this play, also known as the US election. The election here in the states is nothing more but theater and more often than not it is a ridiculous circus. Few people care about issues when they vote and most of the electorate is quite uninformed. Both candidates spew bs and spin it by way of their surrogates on the national media networks. The left plays the Bush card, the right plays the Socialism card. McCain is no Bush but he has switched positions in recent times on nearly all major issues to appeal to his base. McCain of 2000 is not the McCain of 2008. Obama is being tied to the far left, which maybe true, but he's walking in the center at this time to appeal to voters not affiliated with either party. Accusations of Obama being a communist/socialist are bogus and if you disagree than McCain is that same socialist that Obama is.

if this country elects mr. hussein im getting out of this country i cant belive how blind people are in this country.

I hope you're not, either.

One would think that Israel’s media people and academics would see the danger of allowing Israel to be painted as a genocidal occupier and would speak out and tell the world how tolerant and compassionate Israel has been towards her enemies — a veritable suffering Job among nations. Instead it is the same people in the media and universities who amplify the pro-Arab lies and distortions. They “admit” sins they never committed, and furnish intellectual rationalizations for the most convoluted arguments raised by their adversaries, rather than take up their country’s defense even when its conduct is beyond reproach as explained at : http://xrl.us/bi5da

You think this made-for-TV bullshit means anything on November 5? Keep on being jealous if it makes you feel good. I'm happy where I am.

Don’t worry here we have 65% dumb Jews whom will votes to Obama, But in general in both countries that is the power of Medias which chosen the President in U.S.A and P.M in Israel, by the I never seen any Israeli leaders to talk about the real solution for that conflict which the Jordan, Yes Jordan the real Palestinian State.