Interesting analysis. It may certainly work for domestic policy; we've already seen it in action and I bet it will work again. The problem is that the Israeli-Palestinean situation is older, longer, and more complex than the health-care debate ever was or will be, it's not a domestic situation so control of or influence over the parties behind the scenes isn't as great, and the mainstream in the Middle East hasn't yet shouted down the extremists in either camp despite nearly a century of trying.

Make no mistake--I want a stable, workable peace in Israel and I'll support the President in his efforts to get it. But I don't think Hamas will allow a peace to happen no matter what President Obama does--they'd rather see Israel and Israelis pushed into the sea. Netanyahu has proven himself obstinate on the subject of construction in the territories. The Palestineans are obstinate on the subject of dividing Jerusalem. If President Obama can tough-love these two sides into a stable, two-state solution--awesome. But I'm not convinced that his usual methods will work in this situation.