Especially for those who ridiculed the President for his suggestion during PM Netanyahu's May visit that Israel look at returning to pre 1967 borders as a way to break the log jam in peace negotiations with the Palestinians:

AP reports today that Netanyahu has agreed to negotiate the borders based on the cease fire on the West Bank.

"A senior official would not confirm outright that the prime minister was now willing to adopt the cease-fire line a starting point, but said Israel was willing to try new formulas to restart peace talks based on a proposal made by President Obama."

I'm sure many Israeli's are furious that their leader would even consider such a radical compromise in the effort to finally reach a peace agreement. But most Israelis want peace and realize it will take someone with uncommon courage and persistence to lead them to it. I praise Netanyahu for risking his popularity, and maybe his life, to try to accomplish something no one else has been able to do.

And Obama set the stage for this, in much the same way as he originated and attempted to negotiate an unprecedented budget reduction, an enormous compromise, which I firmly believe would have been far superior to the watered-down albatross we are left with today. With the far right already immovable and the left sure to go nuts when entitlements are on the table, we need a gifted compromiser. President Obama has proved he has the ideas, passion and more arm-twisting ability than many of his predecessors. He did not accomplish his goal entirely this time because of the debt ceiling ticking time bomb and unprecedented nonsense in Congress, but he will be more successful in the next year or so, and after he is reelected. Yes, I think Obama's reelection is one of the things which will be a direct result of the shameful debt ceiling disaster, and I think that will be a good thing.