(Los Angeles Times) Christi Parsons and Paul Richter - After 18 months of faltering efforts to launch Middle East peace negotiations, President Obama is dramatically increasing his personal stake and his own political risk by hosting direct talks this week. Some of Obama's advisors have questioned the wisdom of linking the president so visibly with such an intractable conflict. But the president stepped up his personal involvement over the summer. Many insiders and outside experts say that if the talks remain on track, it will be because Obama is personally applying pressure to push them forward. "He will become engaged at any point where people think he should," said a senior administration official. "He will take the advice of his team, but there's no doubt he has put a lot of time and energy into this."
2010-08-30 07:55:16Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive