Obama's First Peace Mission: Mitchell Goes To Middle East

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says his special Middle East envoy is departing on his first peacemaking mission to solidify a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and that he is empowered to speak for the president.

Obama spoke Monday in the Cabinet room, flanked by the newly named envoy, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

As he dispatched his new envoy, Obama said he did not expect immediate success from Mitchell's mission. But he said he hoped this early dialogue from his administration would help open the way for an Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Said Obama: "When he speaks, he speaks for us."

Comments

[kassandrasduplex]

West Bank settlements must be stopped, the return to 67 borders respected, and then, maybe, Hamas will reduce its militancy. Israel has the ball in its court. Don't hold your breath.

[kassandrasduplex]

Al Jazeera reports this morning that they have confirmation Mitchell won't speak to Hamas. A mission designed for not actually achieving peace, apparently.

[StopNThink]

People - let's not let this go to our heads just yet. Remember the rest of Obama's team are all pro-Israel Clinton era retreads who will work with their counterparts over there to make Mitchell superfluous (Dennis Ross and Martin Indyk, come on down!)

Read some Israeli press - they are already looking for Mitchell's weaknesses. i learned from them:
-Lebanese mom
-prostate cancer
-75 years old.

There plan will be to tire him out with shuttling and shenanigans like an incursion in the West Bank a week before he arrives, that is met with retaliation the day before he arrives. Guess which act makes the news cycle here?

Anyway, fingers crossed but keep the champagne corked.

[kassandrasduplex]

Thank you for that information. Incredible the level of malevolence going on over there!

[anopenmind]

Thank you President Obama, thank you for your open-mind and wiliness to move the world forward!

Thank you

[Rapid Ray]

I dunno...

Looking more and more like his first peace mission is with the Republicans.....

[johnsonc20]

Mitchell is a serious man for a serious job. This has a lot of promise.

[303]

Will be interesting to see what Obama does when Olmert or the next Israeli PM calls him directly to undercut Mitchell. Numerous reports indicate that both PM Sharon and Olmert would ignore any "unpleasant" message or act by Colin Powell or C. Rice (like forcing not to vote for the Gaza resolution after she had worked so hard to shape it), and over-reach directly to Bush to get his agreement on whatever they asked for--pretty pathetic that Bush was such a pawn of a foreign government!

[dryrock]

How refreshing - the prospect of a detente that is not at the end of a gun.

[truegreen]

Finally, America has adults in the White House.

[juzcuz]

exactly... adults with wisdom who don't swagger, wear sh#t kickers and who do take America's welfare seriously. To Bush and Company... it's all just been a big GAME and unfortuantely Americans have been the big losers for the last 8 years. Time to be a born-again American!!

[poco767c]

I am so confused by the last eight years. I thought peace missions involved the 101st airborne and two armored divisions.

[k6007]

Thanks for the laugh! :D

[MaryfromMontcoPA]

What a relief to have grown ups in the White House!

[AMERIKA]

I used to think that about the Bush Administration early in the first term and soon after 9-11...but now, it is clear what an adult it the white house looks like. Phew! And well said.

[Chaoticsouls]

Go diplomacy

[EricHayes]

Just making our diplomatic presence felt this early is a success, in my book.

[ObamacratInCA]

I agree EricHayes. Most Presidents don't dig in to this conflict until late in their terms. Obama wants to get stuff done and it shows.