JOE KLEIN
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Mideast Peace Would Justify Obama's Nobel
There's consensus on a deal; the president is the guy to get it done
By Kevin Spak
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Posted Oct 16, 09 12:13 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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With his Nobel Prize, President Obama has once again been celebrated and rewarded for who he’s not (George W. Bush) and who he might be. Although Obama’s preferred foreign policy MO—patient diplomacy on many fronts—doesn’t “lend itself to high drama,” that's exactly what he needs to actually earn that prize, writes Joe Klein for Time. And Klein sees an opportunity for bold action: the Middle East.
Things are genuinely improving in the West Bank, where Israelis and Palestinians are working to remove checkpoints and the economy is growing. Though the sides seem incapable of striking a peace deal themselves, there’s broad international consensus on what that deal should look like. If Obama just announced his support for it, both sides would be under tremendous pressure to agree. The moment’s right for a dramatic move, “even from a no-drama president.”