Highly likely is the possibility that an upcoming peace summit between Israel and the "Palestinian" Authority, scheduled for late November in Anapolis, MD, may have met with a rather "untimely" delay. Apparently, the Israeli government is starting to realize what is at stake and feels no sudden sense of urgency to reach an immediate and final agreement regarding the creation of a "Palestinian" state in East Jerusalem, much to the dismay of her Arab counterparts. Like clockwork, the proverbial one-two punch that exists in the form of intense pressure by the United States--specifically, Condoleezza Rice--and the "Palestinian" Authority toward Israel to concede to an absolute agreement on final status issues is taking its toll on the Israeli government, who has now decided to posture from a "let's slow down and talk about this" position.

More and more, Condoleezza Rice is allowing her agenda of desperation to impede her effectiveness. Her legacy and that of the Bush administration have landed themselves in a "vice of diplomacy"--one that tightens by the day. Consider, if you will, her reactions to several political issues involving Israel and her Arab neighbors, as of late.

Recently, the presence of nuclear material in Syria was discovered and confirmed by Israeli commandos, thus lending justification for the Israeli air strike that followed which essentially neutralized the threat. Reports confirmed that Condoleezza Rice did everything possible to delay and prevent the response by the Israeli military. In a sense, she hoped Israel would "look the other way." She failed. Could this have anything to do with the likelihood that her aspirations--that is, her infatuations--with creating a "Palestinian" state might be derailed in lieu of an Israeli military incursion in Syria?

Consider her most recent reaction, observed during her current and ongoing visit to the Middle East. Israeli officials told Rice that "it was still too early to get into the nitty-gritty of negotiations for a final Israel-PA peace deal.", a position that could potentially delay an upcoming peace summit with a negotiating partner who "wants it all right now." What was Rice's reaction to the Israeli statement?

Says Rice, "We've been putting these issues off for decades, and it's time that everything is put on the table and decided. The time has come for a Palestinian state."

Does this not sound like someone arguing from a position of desperation and/or impatience? What's the hurry, Condi? If said issues have been ongoing for "decades", as you have so readily asserted, then what harm is there in further delay if it means both parties may be in full understanding and agreement with the issues brought to the negotiation table? Could it be, Condoleezza Rice, that you and your administration have only 1 year left to make good on your pledge to the "Palestinians" and, subsequently, the rest of the world?

Perhaps the most insidious of Rice's remarks came at the end of Monday's negotiations. After acknowledging Prime Minister Olmert's "coalition difficulties" in his own government, Rice stated she "would not force him to take steps that are 'not acceptable to Israel'." Who are you, Condoleezza Rice, to presume to have the authority to "force" any country, especially Israel, into making any kind of diplomatic or political decision, regardless of its potential ramifications? Your agenda is apparent, and it has absolutely nothing to do with neither Israel's best interests nor her national security.

It's time for Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak to send this woman back from where she came, emptyhanded. The question is: Do they have the fortitude to do so?

Condoleezza Rice - Tipping Her Hand in the Holy Land