I CAN'T WAIT – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  It is reported in The New York Times, the official newspaper of the Obama administration, that the president himself will plunge back into negotiations for an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  Kind of reminds me of the Japanese kamikaze:

WASHINGTON — President Obama, after avoiding a hands-on role in Middle East peacemaking since the setbacks of his first term, plans to plunge back into the effort, his advisers said this week, starting with an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

When he welcomes Mr. Netanyahu to the White House on Monday, these officials said, Mr. Obama will press him to agree to a framework for a conclusive round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations that is being drafted by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Later in March, Mr. Obama is likely to meet with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to make the same pitch. The goal, officials said, is to announce the framework, a kind of road map for further talks, by the end of April, the nine-month deadline that Mr. Kerry set last summer for a final peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

COMMENT:  Is this wise?  Don't we have a State Department for this purpose?  Obama still believes his "prestige" can move mountains, but that prestige disappeared during his first term. 

It is being reported from the Mideast that the Palestinian side has already turned down the American framework proposal.  So what's the point of this?

Meanwhile, next door, Syria is in flames.  News reports speak of a coming huge battle, with ghastly casualties, between the Assad regime and the rebels.  We also learn that the Syrians are continuing to stall in their promise to send chemical weapons out of the country.

Ah, success.  It feels so good, doesn't it, Barack?

February 27, 2014