Another catastrophe has overtaken John Kerry. It’s almost routine now. The Middle East peace process that was going to fix everything has finally gone belly up. John Kerry’s tireless overtures have somehow resulted in the Palestinian authority joining Hamas. You wonder how he did that. That alliance with the terror organization deep-sixed any hopes for a deal with Israel. The New York Times dolefully reports that things aren’t working out as planned:
The unity pact, coming days before the April 29 expiration date for the American-brokered peace talks that have been the mainstay of Secretary of State John Kerry’s tenure, surprised officials in Washington, which, like Israel, deems Hamas a terrorist group and forbids direct dealings with it. After months of intensive shuttle diplomacy in which Mr. Kerry staked his reputation on the peace process and even dangled the possibility of releasing an American convicted of spying for Israel to salvage the lifeless talks, his spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, called the Palestinian move “disappointing” and the timing “troubling.”
“Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties,” Ms. Psaki said, citing conditions Hamas has repeatedly rejected. “It’s hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist.”
Good news is pretty thin at Foggy Bottom. This latest setback comes after a State Department spokesperson failed to name a single accomplishment of the agency under Secretary Hillary Clinton.
State Department Press Secretary Jen Psaki was flummoxed, too, when asked about a 2010 State Department Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) that summarized then-Secretary Clinton’s goals and accomplishments.
‘Can you, off the top of your head, identify one tangible achievement that … resulted from the last QDDR?’ asked an Associated Press reporter during the daily briefing.
‘I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort, could point out one,’ Psaki replied through a forced smile.
‘I’m sure there are a range of things that were put into place that I’m not even aware of,’ she offered moments later.
‘I won’t hold my breath,’ the reporter shot back.
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She tried, mind you. She tried. It’s just that nothing came to mind. By it’s not Miss Psaki’s fault. Hillary Clinton couldn’t remember anything she achieved either other than that she saved the world in some unspecified way.
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The good news for Hillary is that Psaki probably can’t name any accomplishments under Kerry either.
Hillary is running a “relay race” with history but where exactly she’s headed is anybody’s guess. Less charitable observers have charged that Clinton and Obama have presided over an unending string of foreign policy catastrophes including the inexplicable mixup in Libya resulting from switching sides in the ‘War on Terror’ and allowing 500 million of weapons to reach al-Qaeda militants.
That’s a pretty serious accusation whose only mitigating circumstance is that they might have done it by accident. With this crowd — who promised “smart diplomacy” — you never know which disasters are intentional and which are simply caused by imbecility. When the president is not out trying to treat Putin like a doorman, Kerry pulls a wrong way Corrigan. That’s on days when Hillary isn’t watching consulates getting torched by mobs inspired by YouTube video producers.
What is perhaps most alarming is the inexhaustible vein of of incompetence in the administration. Clinton, Obama, Kerry and Sebelius are world-class somethings, though what exactly world-class-whats is debatable. Opening the newspapers has almost become painful exercise in observing “another one bites the dust”.
This time it’s the Middle East peace process. You’re almost tempted to say: stop! stop! It’s too painful to watch.
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