Looks like President Obama is applying the same logic to Mideast peace talks that he used for health care reform: if the wood's too hard to drive the nail, get a bigger hammer.

Foolish observers (like me) thought that Obama had understood, late last fall, that focusing on Israeli settlements was a losing strategy. Now, however, he's come roaring back, pushing even harder. Apparently his goal is to impose a peace settlement within the next two years - just as he has imposed health care ‘reform' on the rest of us. Support for Israel from some 300 Members of Congress as well as over 63% of the American public affects his policy as little as did the opposition of 55% of the American public to ObamaCare.

Nor does Obama seem to care that some 48% of Israelis no longer feel that the United States is on their side. Why is this important? Because there's no way the United States can broker peace if the Israelis have no confidence that their national security concerns will be respected.

In just over a year, Obama has alienated our closest ally and the only real democracy in the Middle East - at a time when both the United States and Israel should be working together as hard as they can to head off a nuclear Iran.

But, on the other hand, maybe there's a silver lining to this admittedly very black cloud. If Obama keeps to his course, the United States will soon find itself unable to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians. And that may be a good thing. American efforts to broker a Mideast peace began in the 1970s, yet after almost 40 years we have remarkably little to show for it. Nor is there any reason to hope for a breakthrough now. Just think what we'll be able to save on travel costs!