this seems to directly contradict the NYT piece about giving Europe the larger roll...snip>
Another official involved in the administration's deliberations said the concept of an envoy will work only if the administration decides to give the person real authority. He said the administration could opt for what he called the "James Baker" model, a hard-nosed negotiator like the former secretary of state who forces both sides to confront uncomfortable truths. Or, he said, if the administration were less ambitious, it might accept a "George Mitchell" model, referring to the former Senate majority leader who wrote a report on cooling down the conflict that gained little traction.
In his first term Bush promoted the idea of an independent Palestinian state, but in contrast to President Bill Clinton he generally avoided robust efforts to resolve the conflict.
More broadly, administration officials said yesterday that they want to seize on the opening provided by Arafat's death, both to make progress and to show that Bush is trying. But these officials said they are being extremely cautious about what they say publicly because they do not want to hurt the chances of moderates among the potential Palestinian leaders by making them look like the candidates of the United States.
Another White House official said that the Middle East is a priority for Bush's second term and that the president and Blair will discuss ways "we can accelerate the process and take advantage of the opportunity of Arafat's passing." But the official cautioned that the administration "will also be patient," watching the Palestinians over the next few weeks in order to avoid "acting too assertively or too precipitously."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43777-2004Nov11.html
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