This is as good a take as I've seen on Annapolis. It comes from Noah Pollak at Contentions:

Annapolis is really about the Bush administration, not the peace process. It has been Condi’s pet project; she has shuttled to Israel and the Palestinian territories on a monthly basis for almost a year; she has been permitted by President Bush to prioritize a quixotic diplomatic endeavor over and above other crises that by any sensible measure are of far greater concern for the United States—Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Syria and Hizballah, and Pakistan, to name a few. If Condi’s pursuit of the peace process is due to a belief that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible and will unlock the forces of moderation and conviviality in the Middle East, then, well, she is simply a fool. If it is because she wishes to add this most elusive accomplishment to her legacy, then she is a narcissist.

UPDATE: RIce may not be the only person in Annapolis who answers to one or both of these descriptions. The striking thing about the conference is the weakness of the central participants. Mahmoud Abbas purports to represent the Palestinians, but arguably is a less authentic representative than Hamas. On the Israeli side, Ehud Olmert, having failed miserably during Israel's war with Lebanon, is hugely unpopular and clings tenuously to power. The spectacle of these two trying to play Sadat and Begin would be funny, if it were not pathetic.

Finally, and it pains me to say this, the lame duck version of George W. Bush, with his favorability rating of under 35 percent, is hard pressed to equal Jimmy Carter's stature as of 1978.

The only party that's faintly impressive is Saudi Arabia. Therein lies the real danger of Annapolis.

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Posted by Paul at 10:19 PM  |    |