Peace at Last

The Main Stream Media have one fear remaining--now that Bush has been reelected--that towers above all others, that fear is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be settled under the auspices of George W. Bush. Imagine if Bush was the man who had as his legacy--Peace in the Holy Land. Clinton-- in the waning days of his second term--wanted nothing more than to gain that legacy and Arafat snuffed any chance of that out.

Now things are starting to happen that were unthinkable just months ago, Ariel Sharon is getting good press and Abbas almost sounds conciliatory, but not quite. Now is the time for Bush to step in and get this process moving at a greater pace. He must assign an envoy to engage both parties and get results.

W. has capital at home but also abroad, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has had a dramatic effect throughout the Arab world. That capital,in conjunction with the death of Arafat, has changed the playing field in ways never dreamed of. Is Abbas the guy to lead the way and be a founding father of a new nation? That remains to be seen and I definitely have my doubts. But, with a little walking softly while brandishing an enormous stick thinking from the US it just may be possible.

If this does come to fruition, how will the media spin it?

1. Abbas was the savior and was responsible;

2. Moderate forces in Sharon's coalition brokered it; or

3. Kofi Annan and the UN accomplished the impossible.

My guess is all of the above. I wonder if this ever did happen if Bush, Sharon and Abbas would share the Nobel Peace Prize...just kidding.