It is quite revealing that President Obama chose the Al Arabiya network for his first international interview. The messages he delivered were in line with his inaugural address of last week: They were measured, deliberative and were aimed at setting a new tone. A few weeks ago I argued for Obama to be more of a peace broker than an advocate of one side in the Middle East. His thoughtful remarks this week were a refreshing contrast to the cowboy diplomacy of George W. Bush. They also revealed a desire to be engaged early, like Jimmy Carter was with the Camp David Accords and Bill Clinton was with a peace process that ended tragically with the murder of Yitzhak Rabin. Early engagement by an American president is far better than intervention in the lame-duck portion of a mandate.

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