(Washington Post) Richard Cohen - Secretary of State Colin Powell is planning to take the Israelis and the Palestinians and knock their heads together. Only recently has the administration said it is serious about getting - "imposing" is probably the better word - a plan to end the incessant violence between Israelis and Palestinians. I asked Powell who besides him in the administration favored a plan that would mean going to the mat with Sharon. "The president," he responded quickly. "He understands that the whole world is going to be looking to him to do something about the Middle East once Iraq has been dealt with." Before the Israelis and the Palestinians can get their act together, however, the Bush administration will have to do the same. At the moment, the State Department, which used to conduct American foreign policy, has been outgunned by the Pentagon, the National Security Council (now with Elliott Abrams), and Dick Cheney, a vice president with very strong views about the Middle East.
2003-03-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive