Washington Watch Simmering Peace Plans U.S. signals worry pro-Israel activists. paign needs to attract Southerners "with Confed- erate flags in their pickup trucks." Earlier, he gener- IVashington Correspondent ated anxiety in pro-Israel circles with his call for a more balanced U.S. policy in the region. he Bush administration continues to insist Gephardt's slow, steady rise is another blow to the its Mideast road map offers the only route troubled campaign of Lieberman, who continues to to peace in the region, but in recent days do every well in national polls but has failed to gain it has sent out hints of a flirtation with traction with Democratic primary voters. other peace proposals, including the controversial Gephardt's rise is "terrible news for Joe," said "Geneva agreement" worked out Allan Lichtman, a political historian and expert in between leading Israeli doves and presidential prognostication. Palestinian activists. It's also a definite downer for Gen. Wesley Clark, The result: anxiety and uncer- who just a few weeks ago was the brightest star in tainty on the part of pro-Israel the Democratic cosmos. "Everybody thought Clark leaders. would be the Dean alternative, but he hasn't gotten "I would prefer to believe it's any better than his resume," Lichtman said. "He confusion on their part rather hasn't shown he can be a truly effective, charismatic than a thought-out readjustment Powell alternative. Ever so slowly, Gephardt is doing that." in policy," said Abraham Foxman, Gephardt's Jewish outreach has been minimal in national director of the Anti- the early stages of the race, other observers say, Defamation League. "What we've seen in recent because of the campaign's overwhelming focus on days doesn't make sense to me." the Iowa caucuses. "All his eggs are in the Iowa bas- Iowa Choice? But if the administration is signaling interest in ket," said a leading Jewish Democrat. "It's a must- Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., the veteran lawmaker the unofficial peace negotiations, "it would under- win race for him — and let's face it, Jewish running for the 2004 Democratic presidential nom- mine the authority of the prime minister to move Democrats are not going to play a very big role in ination, has jumped into the lead in polls of likely forward when the time comes to do so," Foxman Iowa." participants in the all-important Jan. 19 Iowa cau- said. A leading Gephardt supporter predicted his candi- cuses. The puzzling administration actions included date will gain Jewish support as his campaign accel- That could put the House veteran in a position to Secretary of State Colin Powell's letter last week erates. "He meets regularly in St. Louis with a group be the favored alternative if the cur- praising the authors of the controversial Geneva of Jewish friends, and has been doing so for 15 rent frontrunner, former Vermont agreement, which is based on proposals on the table years," said Michael Newmark, a longtime St. Louis Governor Howard Dean, implodes. at the 2000 Camp David summit and the follow-up communal leader and former chair of the Jewish Des Moines According to a meetings at Taba — proposals rejected by the cur- Council for Public Affairs. "He has very close con- survey, Gephardt was the Register rent Israeli government. tact with the Jewish community here." first choice of 27 percent of those The letter was revealed in Israel by one of its Newmark cited Gephardt's long support for the who indicated they would attend recipients, former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin. Soviet Jewry movement and a "strong social justice their precinct caucuses, with Dean But State Department spokesman Richard streak that will definitely appeal to Jewish voters. scoring 20 percent. Gephardt Boucher downplayed the exchange, saying that He has the kind of balance the Jewish community Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was in Powell merely "expressed appreciation for their looks for." third place with 15 percent. Sen. efforts to sustain an atmosphere of hope," and that Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who is not actively cam- the secretary stressed Washington's continuing com- paigning in Iowa, dropped to 5 percent. mitment to the stalled international road map. Debate Conflict But the poll also indicated that most voters are Other observers suggested that Powell's letter — Maybe someone should send the deep thinkers who not strongly committed to any single candidate. and oblique comments by Deputy Defense run the Commission on Presidential Debates a Benjamin Ginsberg, a Johns Hopkins University Secretary Paul Wolfowitz citing widespread popular Jewish calendar and a list of just who the potential political scientist, said that Gephardt may not elec- support in the region for another unofficial peace Democratic candidates are. trify the Jewish community, but he could be a com- plan, the "Ayalon-Nusseibeh" initiative — were Last week, the nonpartisan group announced the fortable alternative — especially because of the intended to be warnings to Sharon not to use the schedule for next year's debates between the major Jewish community's preference for established, hiatus in U.S. peacemaking to intensify - his war candidates, and it could be a problem for a lot of mainstream politicians. against Palestinian terror groups or push too far into Jews who want to watch — and one Jew who wants "Gephardt has had cordial relations with the the West Bank with Israel's controversial security to be president. Jewish community for many years, and has been a barricade. The problem: the first debate, which will take staunch supporter of Israel," he said. "For Jewish "The press has made more of these comments place at the University of Miami, is scheduled for Democrats who are somewhat uneasy about Dean, than the facts justify," said an official with a major the first night of Succot, Sept. 30. And the second is he will be a familiar and congenial alternative." pro-Israel group. "What they could be is a low-key supposed to be on Simchat Torah, Oct. 8, at Gephardt will make a good "turn-to" candidate if U.S. effort to create a feeling of hope among Israelis Washington University in St. Louis. Dean — whose penchant for verbal gaffes continues and Palestinians that peace efforts are still possible, That could pose a big problem for Sen. Joe to land him in hot water — stumbles in the early and maybe to generate a little pressure on their gov- Lieberman, D-Conn., an observant Jew who is well primaries, Ginsberg said. ernments to try a little harder to find ways to make known for his refusal to work on Saturday and on Last week, it was Dean's comment that his cam- the road map work." JAMES D. BESSER T 11/14 2003 18 Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum and a longtime peace process critic, downplayed the significance of the diplomatic smoke signals. In a period of relative U.S. inactivity on the Israeli- Palestinian front, "the general assumption is that any talks between Israel and the Palestinians are a good thing," Pipes said. "It's in that spirit that the secretary wrote the letter; I don't take it as a specific commitment to the details." The Zionist Organization of America blasted Powell for "publicly praising Yossi Beilin's rogue operation to promote a plan that pushes Israel back to the indefensible pre-1967 borders and tears Jerusalem in half." The Israel Policy Forum, a pro-peace process group, was also in a writing mood. In a letter to Wolfowitz, the group thanked him for "supporting a rejuvenated peace process and specifically the Ayalon-Nusseibeh initiative."