WHY PUT OFF FOR A YEAR WHAT YOU COULD DO TODAY?:

Abbas Hopes for Agreement With Israel (KARIN LAUB, 7/26/07, Associated Press)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he hopes to reach a peace deal with Israel within a year, after reportedly receiving a promise from President Bush to push hard to conclude a Mideast agreement before the end of his term in 2008.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants to start by formulating a "declaration of principles" with Abbas on the contours of a Palestinian state in Gaza and most of the West Bank, Olmert's aides said, confirming a report in the Israeli daily Haaretz.