Annapolis is a Bush Foreign Policy Triumph Even if it Does Not Advance MidEast Peace

Zev Chafets, writing in yesterday's L.A. Times, correctly observes that the Annapolis Conference was a foreign policy triumph for the George W. Bush Administration, regardless of its ultimate effect on Middle East Peace. It unequivocably confirmed that the United States remains the reigning leader of the free world and that, contrary to his critics, President Bush has only enhanced this country's world standing. Some excerpts:

"This is Bush's bash. His name is on the invitation. The party is at his place. The guests are strictly A-list. Every country that matters, and a lot that don't, will be represented. The European Union, the United Nations and the Arab League will be there too. They are all coming for the same reason: They have been summoned by the one man in the world to whom no one wants to say no.

"It turns out that Bush, far from wrecking America's prestige and influence, has compounded it. Every government in the world knows that attending the Annapolis conference under the aegis of the president of the United States is an unmistakable acknowledgment that America remains the world's indispensable state."

Also in the Times yesterday, Jonah Goldberg explains why he is "At Peace With Pax Americana." He concludes:

"America has picked up where the British left off. Whatever sway the U.S. holds over far-flung reaches of the globe is derived from the fact that we have been, and hopefully shall continue to be, the leader of the free world, offering help and guidance, peace and prosperity, where and when we can, as best we can, and asking little in return. If that makes us an empire, so be it. But I think "leader of the free world" is the only label we'll ever need or -- one hopes -- ever want."

In the realm of foreign affairs, it was one heck of a good week for the Bush Administration.