AFF's Doublethink

In case you missed this editorial on the Arab-Israeli peace process, condescending titled “Diplomacy 101″:

The president’s promising peace initiative has unraveled…

The Israelis have refused to stop all building. The Palestinians say that they won’t talk to the Israelis until they do, and President Mahmoud Abbas is so despondent he has threatened to quit. Arab states are refusing to do anything.

Mr. Obama’s own credibility is so diminished (his approval rating in Israel is 4 percent) that serious negotiations may be farther off than ever. Peacemaking takes strategic skill. But we see no sign that President Obama and [special envoy George] Mitchell were thinking more than one move down the board.

Those who want to defend Obama would probably have to pivot away from the facts on the ground and find a way to blame Bush. Hey, it’s still his first year in office, people! Still, it’s looking like amateur hour.