The Obama admin is selling the peace process

Matt Lee from the Associated Press and State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly faced off today during State’s daily press briefing over the Obama administration’s lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Lee, and other members of the press corps, seemed especially emboldened by Israel’s announcement to build 900 new housing units in the West Bank settlement of Gilo. The face off is one of the worst cases of government gobbledegook, double speak I've seen lately.

This exchange regarding Senator Mitchell's role as the Middle East Peace Process Negotiator is illustrative:

QUESTION: Could you give us just a brief synopsis of the progress that Senator Mitchell has made in his months on the job?

MR. KELLY: Well, I think we have – we’ve gotten --
QUESTION: Yeah, maybe if the --
MR. KELLY: -- both sides to agree on this goal. We have gotten both sides --
QUESTION: Ian, they agreed on the goal years ago. I mean, that’s not --
MR. KELLY: Well, I think that we – this government --
QUESTION: You mean you got the Israel Government to say, yes, we’re willing to accept a Palestinian state? You got Netanyahu to say that, and that’s his big accomplishment?
MR. KELLY: That is an accomplishment.
QUESTION: But previous Israeli administration – previous Israeli governments had agreed to that already.
MR. KELLY: Okay, all right.
QUESTION: So in other words, the bottom line is that, in the list of accomplishments that Mitchell has come up with or established since he started, is zero.
MR. KELLY: I wouldn’t say zero.
QUESTION: Well, then what would you say it is?

MR. KELLY: Well, I would say that we’ve gotten both sides to commit to this goal. They have – we have – we’ve had a intensive round or rounds of negotiations, the President brought the two leaders together in New York. Look --

In my view, as things currently stand, there is no negotiation that has produced any demonstrable results other than moving backwards. Should be reaching ground zero pretty soon and that means war.

Is There Hope For Middle East Peace? A boy in Beit Furik, in the West Bank, amid portraits of President Mahmoud Abbas, who has hinted he may quit. Jaafar Ashtiyeh/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

Does Sinking Mideast Peace Process Hold Any Hope? -- Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Efforts to rescue the sinking Middle East peace process are losing support. Influential U.S. pundits have lost faith. Those Israelis who never did believe in it are saying: we told you so. Some Palestinians believe it is as good as dead, strangled by Israel. They talk gloomily of a moment of truth. Middle East veterans say they have seen such hopeless spells before, and seen them lead to outbreaks of violence.

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I'd say Senator Mitchell has had zero impact on the process. Maybe "selling out" the peace process would be a more apt description.