If Arafat is out, who's in?

President Bush could have taken any one of a number of tacks when putting together his proposal for a new peace initiative in the Middle East.
The one he took, calling for the replacement of Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestinian Authority, caught many people off guard and became the focus for critics of the Bush plan.
We now know why President Bush felt compelled to deal Arafat out of the game. Bush aides told The New York Times that the president was informed just a few days before his announcement Monday that Arafat had authorized a $20,000 disbursement to the Al Aska Martyr's Brigade, a group that has claimed responsibility for a number of suicide bombings in Israel.
While Arafat has been more outspoken recently in condemning attacks against Israeli civilians, in this case, money spoke louder than words.
The President took a stand that was consistent with the United States' position on terrorism. It was not only the politically proper position, it was the only morally defensible position.
A daring decision
It was also a decision fraught with danger. In calling for the Palestinian people to put their national aspirations above Arafat's political ambition, he is taking a gamble. What will the United States do if Arafat is re-elected in January? What will the United States do if a Hamas candidate with even more direct ties to recent terrorism wins?
The United States -- and for that matter, the world -- can only hope that the Palestinian people elect one of the half-dozen or so potential candidates who have political stature in their community and have not shared Arafat's sympathy for terrorists.
If the election is marred by violence, if a supporter or provocateur of terrorism is elected, the prospects for a Palestinian state and for an end to the needless deaths on both sides will be dim.
This will not be an easy election. It will be conducted against the backdrop of the ongoing Intefadeh. And it will require candidates of extraordinary courage to stand and run on a peace platform, knowing that there are elements among their own people who have no interest in peace -- not now, not ever.