Reshaping Israel: Leaders make welcome move toward center

Dallas Morning News | Editorials:

"Mr. Sharon's dynamic, tough-minded pragmatism now defines both the center and leading edge of Israeli politics. This is all to the good -- and fascinating to contemplate from a U.S. perspective, as the American electorate grows disaffected from mainstream parties and a politics stalemated by ideological purists. Anybody know any right-of-center American war heroes respected by many liberals and strong enough to act independently of his party?"

Mr. Sharon has the experience, the credibility and the respect needed to pull off the unilateral plan for peace he is pursuing. I have long advocated an active US involvement in Israeli/Palestinian politics, but not this time. With the incompetence the Bush administration has shown in its handling of Middle East foreign policy, it's just as well that it is bogged down in a war in Iraq. Good luck to Mr. Sharon, Israel, and the Palestinians.

Senator John McCain is no Ariel Sharon. McCain never reached the top. The Republicans rejected him in 2000 and McCain himself turned down Democratic entreaties to switch parties in 2004. Instead, today, McCain is a lonely warrior, advocating causes that alienate as many as they attract. His calls for the US to renounce torture would cost him votes among Republican Bush loyalists. His calls for more US troops in Iraq would cost him votes among Democrats and independents. The US electoral system makes any third party effort virtually impossible to succeed. McCain's current positions make the odds even longer.