On the more substantive issue below, I'm very impressed that Barack Obama stood up at an AIPAC conference and made a point of talking about Palestinian suffering. The reaction, of course, was predictable. "It’s just clumsy of him to say that on the eve of the Aipac conference," said one attendee. "His inexperience is showing.” That, or his beliefs.
I remain unconvinced by Obama's appetite for domestic policy battles. But it's certainly true that the President of the United State can personally do a lot more to revitalize America's role in the Middle East peace process than pass universal health care. You need Congress to pass social policy legislation, but the executive branch, as Bush has proven, has rather a lot of autonomy over international relations and national security. The "experience thing" is somewhat worrying, but I'm not seeing any better options.
Update: Okay, it looks like Obama said this the night before the AIPAC dinner, in Iowa.
