Bill Safire had an extra day or two before his deadline forced him to write something about our new Mideast policy – and it shows. Read:

Perhaps most Palestinians, given the choice, would place hatred of Israelis over personal self-interest and peace. What if Arafat were to win, and "one man, one vote, but only once" prevailed? What if free elections were to enthrone dictatorship, corruption and terror?

That's where Bush's post-Oslo realism has a political sophistication that the priesthood in its ritual negotiation fails to grasp. The president recognizes that elections of an executive alone do not a democracy make.

That's why the Palestinian state envisioned by Bush protects the people by separating government powers. His "reform" offers substantial financial help to create a constitution with a strong legislature and an independent judiciary.

There’s been an awful lot of webchatter about “Marshall Planning” Iraq, some of it right here on this page. But why not start small, with Palestine?