From the Dallas Morning News,

July 31, 2003

President Bush prefers to be a big-picture guy, someone who doesn't get involved in the minutiae of complex negotiations. Then he became involved in the Middle East.

Fortunately, Bush is adapting. His recent meeting with Palestinian and Israeli Prime Ministers Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon were not only welcome, but necessary. If the United States doesn't stay intimately involved, there won't be any progress as each side waits for the other side to make a move.

This means Bush can't ignore details. He was right this week to criticize the wall Israel is building in the West Bank. Israelis understandably are worried about security, but this wall runs through the occupied territories, not along their border with Israel. Cutting Palestinian farmers off from their fields is not a way to build confidence in Israeli intentions.

Sharon seemed to rebuff Bush's suggestion that he halt construction of the wall and release more of the 7,700 Palestinian prisoners. We hope that doesn't mean he's brushing aside Bush's concerns.

There is no way around heavy U.S. involvement to implement Bush's "road map" for peace. Eventually there will have to be a substantial American presence on the ground -- not to stand as peacekeepers between the two sides, but to monitor each side's compliance with the road map. That will mean a lot of prodding -- and a lot of reminding each side just how important "details" are.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A6.