Bush's Bid for Peace May Come Too Late

Nov. 27, 2007— -- In hosting the Annapolis talks on the Mideast, President Bush followed in the footsteps of other presidents who have taken on the job of bringing longtime antagonists to the peace table.

It all started with Jimmy Carter and his historic attempt at bringing Israel and Egypt together.

Carter's success in getting that landmark peace agreement in 1979 has now become the gold standard as later presidents have tried to emulate him but only when time was running out for them.

For much of Ronald Reagan's time in office, he felt the U.S. should avoid embarrassment by refusing to take part in talks he believed were doomed.

At the mid-point of his presidency in 1985, Reagan said, "We're not envisioning any participation in negotiations . . . these negotiations must be between the Arabs and the Palestinians and the Israelis."

But in his final year in the White House, Reagan could not resist the chance to make history.

He sent his secretary of state, George Shultz, to Jerusalem to meet with Palestinian leaders. But the Palestinians did not even show up at the hotel where the talks were slated to take place.

This reporter, traveling with Shultz, noted how angry he was in private.

Publicly, he would say only that he was disappointed and that "Palestinian participation is essential to success in the peace process."