Start by Listening

"And the bottom line in all these talks and all these conversations is, is a child in the Palestinian Territories going to be better off? Do they have a future for themselves? And is the child in Israel going to feel confident about his or her safety and security? And if we can keep our focus on making their lives better and look forward, and not simply think about all the conflicts and tragedies of the past, then I think that we have an opportunity to make real progress."

This is why Obama is the right man for the moment. He doesn't approach these complicated issues looking to map over his preconceived ideology as the solution. As Biden said when I saw them in Springfield, "This guy is a clear-eyed pragmatist who'll get the job done." By putting the focus on improving the lives of individuals, he can hopefully change the conversation from an abstract philosophical argument to a debate on practical policy. This has to be the first step and I expect this strategy to touch the whole of his presidency.