Iraq Study Group endorses Abdullah's view of Mideast

One of the most important recommendations in the 142-page bipartisan report on Iraq can be found under the subheading "Diplomacy."
Here's what it says: "The United States should ... Renew commitment to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace process, including President Bush's commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine."
Why is that so important? Because many of the problems in the Middle East stem from the ongoing violence involving Palestinians and Israelis.
The Iraq report, the result of eight months of intense evaluation by the Iraq Study Group co-chaired by Washington heavyweights James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, was released this week and has literally taken the United States by storm.
Indeed, the report has attracted worldwide attention not only because it provides an honest appraisal of the situation in Iraq, but because an equal number of Democrats and Republicans worked long hours to come up with the set of recommendations that were unanimously adopted.
Thus, each of those recommendations deserves to be studied carefully by the Bush administration and members of Congress.
In that regard, the ISG's call for a renewed commitment to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace process must be answered with a greater sense of urgency than President Bush has shown.
Foreign policy experience
Given that Baker, a Republican, and Hamilton, a Democrat, have vast foreign policy experience and have ties to many of the key players in the Middle East, the White House should invite them to serve as special envoys to the region.
It's a matter of their credibility versus the credibility of any member of the Bush administration -- in the context of the negative view of the United States in the Arab world.
Baker served as White House chief of staff and secretary of state and treasury in the Reagan and first Bush administrations. He visited the Middle East many times as an American diplomat and helped cobble the U.S.-led coalition of European and Arab nations during the 1991 Gulf War.
Hamilton, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, co-chaired the 9/11 Commission, which issued a lengthy analysis of the terrorist attacks on America's homeland on Sept. 11, 2001, and provided a set of recommendations for dealing with terrorism at home and abroad.
Hamilton also serves on President Bush's Foreign Intelligence Policy Board and the president's Homeland Security Advisory Council, and directs the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Assets
It is clear that Baker and Hamilton are assets that should not be wasted, especially at this crucial moment in the history of the Middle East.
Jordan's King Abdullah recently described what is at stake when he warned that if there isn't a comprehensive approach to dealing with the problems in the Mideast, 2007 could well bring three civil wars -- in Iraq, Lebanon and the territories occupied by Palestinians.
President Bush should dispatch Baker and Hamilton to Jordan to develop a framework for talks involving all parties, including the Israelis.
As the Iraq Study Group report noted, the U.S. should, "bring a new diplomatic offense to build international consensus for stability in Iraq and the region. The effort should include every country that has an interest in avoiding a chaotic Iraq, including all of Iraq's neighbors."
Time is of the essence.