Rethinking Darfur

I heard somebody say earlier today that if the Bush administration were really interested in making progress in Darfur it would be taking a different tack. Rather than making a big fuss about genocide at the UN, and dispatching shuttle-diplomat Colin Powell around the globe with reporters hanging on his coat-tails. The Arab League (of which Sudan is a member) isn't likely to sign on to anything is perceived as an American proposal -- whether it's an invasion in Iran or a mission to stop the killing in Darfur. Better for Powell to operate behind-the-scenes, cutting deals with the few pliable leaders in the Middle East, and let the Arab League take the credit. That may not be "fair," but who cares who gets the credit? After Iraq the world is just not ready for more American humanitarian "leadership."