Don't ask me why, but I'm listening to Jerry Rivers on Greta's show. The internal idiocy pressure has built up, and the pressure relief valve below his nose has opened.

He repeats the same nonsense that we hear from most liberal commentators. It's difficult to make peace because we have two people--Sharon and Arafat--who hate each other too much to make a deal. That's the problem--it's just a personality conflict.

No, Jerry, it's not a personality conflict. It doesn't matter who's in charge of Israel. Yasser is not going to do any deal that doesn't position him to destroy Israel. Period. End of sentence.

What you have is one leader who wants his state to survive, and another who wants that same state to end. There is no compromise here. Arafat doesn't (just) want a Palestinian state. He wants a permanent solution to the problem of a Jewish state in any land that he considers Palestine. Until Jerry, and the other journalists, recognize this fundamental fact, the reportage from the region will continue to be skewed and bizarre.

Let's suppose that Rivera is correct,
and U.S. leadership takes that diagnosis
as such.

Then our President should insist
that the overdue (since 1999) Palestinian
Authority elections be held immediately.

If the PA elects a new leader, without
the poisoned history of Arafat, then
the peace process might be resumed.

If the PA re-elects Arafat, then we
can only wait until the next regularly
scheduled election in Israel, and see
if THEY change leaders.

We all believe in and support
democracy,right?

Well, if Jerry were correct, then all we'd have to do send America's best Snake-oil salesman to Israel for the next election cycle and have him work to elect the softest, most dovish Prime Minister candidate we can find, then persuade him to sign a peace deal so generous that it practically destroys Israel. Arafat, free of personal baggage of his grudge with Sharon, will sign the deal for the good of his people, and we'll have peace in the Middle East. Sounds great, Right?

There's just one problem, Jerry. Clinton already tried this, rather than take the deal Barak was offering him, Arafat rejected it, and the fighting began in earnest. That was Barak, at the table when this all fell apart, Jerry, not Sharon, so how can personal hatred between the two leaders be the root cause when one wasn't even leader when it began?

The only good thing I'll say about Jerry, is that the employment of him at Fox news puts the lie to the claims of Jerry's fellow irrational liberals who dismiss Fox news as a conservative biased network.

Well, Greta helps, too. Liberals got a twofer last night.

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