Addendum

The media has begun to pay more attention to the upcoming conference than I would have liked. There was an article dileneating Bush's optimism in the New York Times, several op-eds in publications across the country, and significant coverage on the radio. We'll see how this pans out within the next couple days.

Odd Optimism

You may not have heard this, and you probably don't care, but the time for the lame-duck US administration to hold an Israeli-Palestinian peace conference is once again fast approaching. But this time around, I am cautiously optimistic because, so far at least, no one seems to have noticed. The plan this time around is for talks to begin in Maryland this Tuesday. The news media in the United States is paying little attention. The Iowa caucuses are in little over a month. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, several other crises have been distracting the reactionaries on both sides. The saber-rattling going on between Tehran and Washington comes to mind. While the world’s attention is turned towards Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria are quietly contemplating participating in the talks. But most importantly, no one has any expectations of success. The few reports on the talks focus on their likelihood of failure There is absolutely no way that anyone could be disappointed with the outcome, so there is no pressure to stage a dramatic break-off, as happened in 2000. The situation in the region seems so dismal at the moment, that the idea of progress seems laughable. Of course things could change. A slow news day leading up to the conference could tank everything. Personally, I’m hoping for Ahmadinejad to throw another fireball sometime this weekend. At any rate the bottom line is this: keep a cautiously optimistic eye towards Annapolis this week.

You Should Know Who This Guy Is

David Addington is not the sort of fellow to seek out the limelight. From his perspective, this is definitely a good thing. Unlike Bush’s man Rove and Libby, Addington’s predecessor as Cheney’s Chief of Staff, the media has largely let him do his work in peace. Unlike Rove, and his boss Cheney, the media never constructed the evil advisor narrative for Addington. In fact, they never constructed much of anything around Addington. As a consequence, despite the fact that many of his deeds are more egregious then those of anyone else in the administration, and his power greater than that of most cabinet secretaries, he is under no scrutiny form the administration’s opponents.
Who exactly is Addington? A succinct definition is that he is Cheney’s Cheney. He has been close to the VP since his before his days as Secretary of Defense for the first Bush. During the transition period in 2001, Addington helped set up a single executive office, instead of the traditional and separate office of the VP. More specifically, he is a lawyer specializing in intelligence. Back in 2001, he was the brainchild behind Bush’s executive order establishing military commissions dictated at the discretion of not Congress or the courts, but the Secretary of Defense. And as for Presidential signing statements, who else but David Addington? Addington comes from the counterintuitive school of thought that proposes the President’s power has been in decline for the last several decades, and it is time that his authority be restored. And while his legal views may not make much sense, in the twighlight of the Bush years, with much of the administration discredited or impotent, he is a figure to watch for. At least until January 2009, the Bush vision of security at all costs will prevail. Addington has Cheney’s ear, and Cheney is clearly a man who has the President’s ear. While that may not count for much, it still counts for something.