Ara-who? Israel/Palestine what?

Well, that was quick, wasn’t it?

Arafat dies, everyone quietly hopes that the event will jump start talks, the world looks in our direction, and then…

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

And it’s not like Dubya didn’t have some opportunities. Powell wasn’t going to stay on, but Rice could have used her nomination to SecState to come out strong and make a statement of engagement… no dice. Blair crossed the pond to plead with Bush for renewed engagement (and a little pay-back for his support in Iraq), but all Bush said was “Awww… my precious little poodle is so cute when he begs!”

The word is that Dubya wants to see if the moderate leadership that is filling the vacuum is strong enough to stick around and fend off the influence of Hamas… why? When has Bush ever shown patience or prudence in anything that he has done? Since when has he needed information before acting? I mean, Bush went to war on data that makes a hobo’s tip on a penny stock look rock-solid, but here he has a great opportunity to re-insert the country into this effort and he balks!

So has Bush turned all yella’? Nope… at least, not by the standards the media has set. Instead, he is just playing his chosen role on this issue: Ariel Sharon’s little bitch. After his mistake at Camp David, Arafat was a barrier to peace… but Sharon is damn near as bad. I am not saying that Sharon has to go, but I think if we apply appropriate pressure we can get him to engage in a meaningful way.

Unfortunately, Dubya doesn’t have the balls or, perhaps more accurately, Rove sees it as a losing political issue… what a terrible, terrible failing for someone who claims moral clarity.