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By Ira Sharkansky
 JERUSALEM—American intelligence sources are estimating that Iran will be able to produce nuclear weapons only in 2013, and that there is no indication that political leaders have decided to produce them.
Can we believe the projection that pushes N-day backward by three years, and suggests that a bomb may not be on the Iranian agenda? Or is this another example of intelligence personnel trying to serve their political masters? The latest estimate fits with the president's commitment to engage with Iranians, and talk them away from evil intents.
Other news is that the president is losing one of his constituencies on an issue close to it. A survey of Jewish Democrats finds that 92 percent approve in general the job he is doing, but 44 percent feel that he "is naive in thinking he can make peace with the Arabs."
Fifty-five percent agree with the statement, "President Obama is naive in thinking that the Palestinians would make peace, whatever they say. They will just use the new land as a base to attack Israel like they did in Gaza."
On the settlement freeze, 37 percent of Jewish Democrats support the president, while 52 percent oppose him.
Thomas Friedman remains obsessed about settlements. "Israel must stop playing games — and stop building settlements." (NYTimes August 1, 2009)
Prominent rabbis and leaders of Jewish organizations are divided about a freeze.
One survey and divisions among community leaders may not indicate serious weakness, but the president has problems elsewhere. Health is currently his highest priority, and there is strong opposition to some of the provisions he favors. The New York Times reports that members of Congress
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supporting the president in their home districts "have been shouted down, hanged in effigy and taunted by crowds. In several cities, noisy demonstrations have led to fistfights, arrests and hospitalizations."
In contrast, one of the e-mails just received says that union enforcers are roughing up ObamaCare critics at these meetings, and predicts that the United States is on the road to fascism.
The prominence of the health issue may account for some of the decline in the president's approval rating from 55 to 50 percent over the most recent three months.
He is still a long way from George W. Bush's 22 percent approval, and his term is new. He has not struck out on health.
There are many items on his agenda, each with an impressive number of aides doing their best for him and themselves. We call it an imperial presidency for good reason.
One can continue thinking that Obama was a better choice than the man who chose Sarah Palin as a running mate, and disagree strongly with him on one or more of his prominent issues.
One feather in his cap is the Senate's approval of Sonia Sotomayor 68-31, despite an intense campaign against her.
The administration rescued two journalists in exchange for a vice presidential visit to North Korea, but that country is still building nuclear weapons and missiles. Car bombs are blowing up outside of Iraq's mosques, despite the president's near declaration of victory. His decision to escalate in Afghanistan is problematic. Other armies have lost soldiers there with no sign of gain. Sadder still is the feeling that a freeze in Israeli settlements can help soothe Palestinians' internal disarray, get all sides among them to moderate their demands, bring Saudi Arabia and other Arab governments closer to American desires, and tone down Iran's rhetoric on its nuclear options, the Holocaust, and Israel.
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