John Alterman directs the Middle East program at the center for strategic and international studies , a public policy research group in Washington . He says the president is rushing to diplomacy at a time when the politics for successful diplomacy are missing .
If the train is moving , the Obama administration will jump on board , but there is so much else going on in the world that the administration is unlikely to start the train , says Jon Alterman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies , a Washington think-tank .
The magazine used to be schizophrenic , said Eric Alterman , a columnist for The Nation and a longtime critic of Mr. Peretz ’ s. But now , the most you can compare it to is a nice sailboat that usually has something smart in it but isn ’ t taking you anywhere .
