Last week we posted some rumors about how Tony Blair was about to be appointed the Quartet's lead negotiator. We were kind of unenthused, what with the whole "Blair has a nasty history of lying to Israel when he promises the Palestinians territorial concessions" thing. So we've got some good news for everyone: those rumors? Absolutely true:

The people who are supposed to run that Palestinian state - the one that Israel is supposed to cede territory to - have just shown themselves criminally incompetent when it comes to standing up to cheap thugs. Even better, there's a very good chance that Hamas won't have to militarily overrun the West Bank - they'll win it straight out in near-term elections. So obviously, Washington is pushing Jerusalem to establish a Palestinian state. Obviously, that's exactly what should be done.

References:
* Bush To Put Some British Guy Who Ignores Israeli Security Concerns In Charge Of Mid-East Peace Process [MR]
* Agenda for Palestinian Conference: Giant Gorilla What? [MR]
* Middle East mediators discuss Blair appointment [Reuters]
* Hamas Popularity Growing. Overwhelming Number Of Palestinians Want Elections. Hmmm. [MR]

Previously:
* Hamas Makes New Offer: They Still Won't Live Up To Any Of Their Obligations, But They Won't Murder Jews For A While
* Secretary Rice: Sure, Abbas Is Allied With Genocidal Maniacs. That Doesn't Mean We Shouldn't Help Him.
* Quartet Getting Iffy on Hamas, Media Still Confident