but realistically, a long way to go. i think the fundamental issue remains. mahmoud abbas, the leader of the palestinians, is a good man. he wants peace. but is he strong enough to deliver the palestinian people who i'm not sure want peace? that's a big issue. he represents a very divided populous that i'm not sure at the end of the day he's going to be strong enough to lead them the way sadat was or jordanian king hussein was, both of whom did make peace. >> larry: james, how do you see it? >> i think the important thing is for the united states to exercise its leadership role in the world and the world expects us to play a unique role in this area. the united states is the only country in the world that has and can exert influence on both the palestinians and the israelis. i think by pursuing and seeking this peace process, you do two things. one, when the leaders are meeting, when the process is ongoing, at least you improve the chances that there won't be