Can the coming implosion of direct peace talks hurt Obama's poll numbers even more?

I - for one - doubt it. I don't think Americans care that much if peace is established in the middle east, and no one I hear or read is mentioning any optimism, to the contrary. Apparently some Arab analysts do believe so.

‘Direct Talks May ‘Make or Break’ Obama

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“Obama realizes that he is unable to do anything and that his invitation for direct talks will turn out to be nothing more than a public relations campaign,' Ghazi Rababaa, political science professor at the University of Jordan, told the German Press Agency DPA. "The U.S. president's real objective behind calling direct talks at this juncture is to improve his Democratic Party's chances in the coming congressional elections and to prop up his retreating popularity.”

With the American economy facing a “double dip” recession and with unemployment showing no signs of receding, foreign policy is President Obama’s only limb that has not fallen. He has triumphantly announced that he has withdrawn troops from Iraq, but 50,000 Americans remain to help Iraqi soldiers fight terror that has not abated while the Baghdad government is in paralysis.

“The risk for Obama comes in defining expectations on pursuits that can fall apart at any time, often over events outside his control,” an Associated Press analysis stated Monday.
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Read the rest of the article for a general round-up of recent opinions and news bits regarding upcoming negotiations disaster.