What Jimmy Carter failed to mention is that this is an election year. Nobody is going to publicly support talking to Hamas until after the election, because a politician's first job is to get elected. Their second job is to get re-elected.

Jimmy Carter is no longer a politician, he is a stateman, so he can speak the truth without fear of reprisal - as a former polician, he is used to scorn.

After the election, when the job of getting elected is over, there will be time to talk to Hamas. As the Hamilton-Baker report made clear, we will have to start talking to these people if we are ever to make any headway into the difficut problems that are rampant in the Middle East. The Israelis know it, the American policy makers know it, and Hamas knows it. Only the American people, and especially, American Jews, don't know it.

After the election, everyone will talk to Hamas.

Hamas is playing Carter and everyone else for fools, and Carter thinks he deserves another Nobel Peace Prize.  Consider the following explanation of the meaning of the "ten-year cease fire" that Hamas promised to Carter:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=118AB751-DE8B-4DC8-BE0C-3CBF69C8C588  

"Hudna has a distinct meaning to Islamic fundamentalists, well-versed in their history: The prophet Mohammad struck a legendary, ten-year hudna with the Quraysh tribe that controlled Mecca in the seventh century. Over the following two years, Mohammad rearmed and took advantage of a minor Quraysh infraction to break the hudna and launch the full conquest of Mecca, the holiest city in Islam."

In light of the fact that a Hamas spokesman denied willingness to recognize Israel immediately after Carter claimed they had indicated it, why should we believe he has achieved a breakthrough?  No one can negotiate religious people out of their beliefs.

coolrepublica:

There are very large differences between Repuglican and Democratic policies. While the essence of US Policy does not change, the Fine Print and execution of such policies do.

"It's inconceivable that Obama or Clinton could say 'We approve of Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas.' I'm not complaining. I've been in politics myself."

So Mr, Carter realizes that Obama's " I'll change US policy" talk is all BS. If's he is elected he will do what all the other president have done before him which is play it safe and fall in the line.  We will be in Iraq way past 2012 no matter who is president.