A story in the international section of this morning's New York Times reports that the Clinton administration is "concerned about the political survival" of Israeli Prime Minister Barak, "who, after defections from his slender majority government, confronts the possibility of having to call a new election when the Israeli Parliament returns at the end of October."
Then the Times states, on its own, in this news story, that "Progress in the peace talks would reinforce his claim to stay on as Israel's leader."
This is absurd. It is "progress" in the peace talks, as the Times defines "progress" -- in other words, unilateral Israeli concessions -- that caused the "defections" from Mr. Barak's government that have put it on the brink of collapse. Such "progress" might reinforce Mr. Barak's claim to power in the minds of the New York Times editorial page, its columnist Thomas Friedman, or even Madeleine Albright, but not necessarily in the minds of Israeli political parties or the Israeli voters, who, under Israel's democratic system, are the ones who get to judge a politician's claim to stay on as Israel's leader. More "progress" in the peace talks of the sort we saw at Camp David may well undermine Mr. Barak's claim to stay on as Israel's leader, not reinforce it. At the very least, the effect of such "progress" on Mr. Barak's political fortunes is a matter open to debate, not a settled question to be tossed off unattributed in the middle of a news article.
Hillary and Lieberman: A story in the metro section of today's New York Times claims that today, Hillary Clinton "plans her first joint campaign appearance with Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut." It's this sort of thing that makes a person whether the editors and reporters at the Times ever read their own newspaper. On December 15, 1999, with Mrs. Clinton's campaign already well underway, the Times reported that Mrs. Clinton met in New York the day before with Orthodox Jewish leaders. It was certainly a campaign appearance. And, as the Times itself reported December 15, "The first lady was accompanied to the meeting by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut." Today's event may be Mrs. Clinton's first appearance with Mr. Lieberman in New York since Mr. Lieberman was chosen to run for vice president, but it is not her first joint campaign appearance with him.