It looks like the realists are growing weary. The venerable Landrum Bolling has produced a new video, New Hope for Peace: What America Must Do To End The Israel-Palestine Conflict, that looks aimed directly at the Obama White House. In it Bolling interviews Jimmy Carter, James Baker, Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski, all of whom offer their advice for the current Obama efforts. There seems to be tinge of concern that the administration isn’t willing to do what needs to be done. Scrowcroft says we have to change the way we have been doing things, while Brzezinski says frustration is widespread. Jimmy Carter takes the cake with the quote that became the title of this post. The message is clear – the US needs to speak clearly about Israel and apply pressure to change conditions on the ground.
All speakers agree that things will not move forward without US leadership. Most specifically they point towards opening dialog with Hamas in the belief that everyone has to be at the table. Does this video represent a sign of despiration that Obama is getting weak in the knees? Not sure, but I’d feel better if one of these old hands were whispering in Obama’s ear on the subject and not Dennis Ross.
