> This is also part of the complex picture:
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/barack-obama-gaza-hamas
>
The fact that this was leaked to the Guardian - and within hours of the news of Ross's selection - tells me it's a bone being thrown to the Euros. US intelligence is no doubt already talking to Hamas one way or another. It means nothing unless Hamas' responses are factored into US policy and can lead to policy adjustments. But policy is made by diplomats and staffers, not by spooks. And who are the diplomats? Dennis Ross, Hillary Clinton and - little noticed yesterday - Obama's pick for Middle East director at the NSC: Dan Shapiro, former Mideast staffer for Bill Nelson, who on Israel is literally, no joke, to the right of AIPAC. When Fatah entered a national unity govt with Hamas, Shapiro drafted legislation to ban US contacts with *any* Palestinian Authority official, including Abbas, Fayyad, the whole Fatah gang. I think the Bush administration ended up out of desperation calling on some liberal Jewish groups to lobby against it and it was defeated. Obama's choices are deeply right wing, there's no "complex picture" so far except (if you look with a microscope) in PR terms.
SA