From the Guardian
Unlimited (UK)
Dated Wednesday November 17
Optimism unrestrained
Blair's faith that Bush will bring peace to the Middle East is either inspiringly positive or grossly naive
By Jonathan Freedland
They used to say that the difference between left and right boils down to this: the left holds a fundamentally sunny view of human nature, while the right errs on the side of pessimism. If that's the key distinction, then here's some arresting news: Tony Blair is a man of the left.
At least as far as the Middle East is concerned. For it's clear, both from his appearance with President Bush in Washington last week and his Mansion House speech on Monday, that the prime minister views that region with a rare optimism. Despite countless rebuffs and setbacks, and a pile of evidence that would send lesser men reaching for the razor blades, Blair remains brimful of hope.
Others might be sceptical, but he is now absolutely convinced that Bush is poised to dedicate the full might of the United States to the pursuit of Middle East peace. Fainter hearts may note that Bush has promised similar resolve before. In April 2003, the president came to Belfast and promised to "expend the same amount of energy in the Middle East" as Blair had in Northern Ireland. He didn't. Two months later, in Aqaba, Jordan, Bush promised to "ride herd" on Israelis and Palestinians, keeping them in line until they had settled their differences. He didn't.
That doesn't trouble Blair. He believes the US position has "evolved". Now, say Downing Street insiders, the Bush administration finally understands a point the PM has been trying to ram home for at least three years: that, rightly or wrongly, the Israel-Palestine conflict has enormous symbolic importance across the world, especially in the Arab and Muslim parts of it. Arab states had pressed this argument, too, but Washington always dismissed it as an excuse for their own failures. Hearing the case made by America's closest ally, says No 10, has made the difference. Blair argued that solving the Middle East conflict, or at least addressing it, was an indispensable part of the wider quest for global security, and could not be ducked. It's clear he reckons that penny has finally dropped.
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