Bush Vows Second-Term Push for Palestinian State

I am very skeptical about this. In truth I don't think that the Palestinians deserve a state. There is no historical record of a Palestinian state run by Palestinians. The name Palestine is derived from a Roman punishment that was placed upon the Jewish inhabitants after rebelling under Roman rule.

However as a matter of practicality I expect it to eventually happen. Regardless of whether it is deserved or not it seems likely to be a practical matter. Give them a state and then go from there.

But it cannot be done haphazardly. It has to be very carefully crafted and constructed. And with the obvious vacuum of power it remains to be seen if there is a person or people who can sell the idea and represent Palestinian opinion.

I think that Clinton is in large part responsible for the current intifada. He pushed too hard and too fast at Camp David. With these parties if you engage in that kind of arm twisting it is anyone's guess as to whether it will accomplish good or ill.

We'll be watcing this very closely.