Headlines of the week

Abbas, Olmert pledge ‘meaningful’ understandings

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas agreed on Friday to try to find a meaningful agreement to take to a planned Middle East meeting, an Israeli official said.”They agreed to try to reach, as soon as possible, a meaningful statement,” Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said after two and a half hours of lunchtime talks between the two at Olmert’s official Jerusalem residence.

Abbas’s “meaningful understandings”
1) Next time we catch someone trying to assassinate you Mr. Prime Minister, he will serve at least 4 months in prison. Not a day less.
2) We recognize the historical connection of the Jews to the land of Israel.
3) We respect the archaeological integrity of the Temple Mount.
4) Heck, we even recognize Israel’s right to exist.

In other news.
Rice taps Clinton, Carter for Middle East advice (h/t Pillage Idiot)

Carter?

Clinton

At a time when the CIA is supposed to provide assurances that it will deal with all matters of terror, the question remains: Even In the case of the murder of two US citizens, has the way that the US intelligence community has dealt with the murder cases of David Boim and Nachshon Wachsman represent any indication as to how the US will continue to relate to Israel’s security concerns ?

Bush 43

So if my source could find out that a member of Aziz’s cell (not Aziz himself – I asked that question) is going to be part of this training course, why can’t the CIA? Or if the CIA has figured it out, why don’t they care? We’re not talking about someone who committed an act of terrorism in the pre-Oslo period. We’re talking about someone who was part of a group that murdered ten people, including a 16-year old American, in April 2006.

Finally – h/t Daled Amos who writes:

It’s like a political “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”–with the worst possible lifelines.

– Powerline writes

Was Rice always this bad, or has she changed course in order to regain the esteem of the foreign policy establishment before she heads back to private life?

I guess the answer’s here:

“She realizes that her legacy right now is really very poor,” said Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser and a strong critic of the Bush administration. “If she can pull this off, she will be seen as a real historical figure.”

Brzezinski’s criticism must have really stung.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.