By Steve Clemons

Scott Paul took on the Clinton campaign for pushing the high-fear button in a television ad. Now the Obama campaign has fired back with its own 3 am ad. They are both depressing.

Oakley the Amazing Weimaraner sent this note to me during my travels this week in Israel and Palestine: There is no such thing as peace. Only equilibrium. Something to think about. Clearly, he is making a play for a bone.

This trip to Israel and today to Palestine has been extremely eye-opening. Condoleezza Rice will be here on Monday — and there is antipathy to her trip at the highest levels of government. I’ve been told that she comes with no plan, no ideas, no pressure to move in any direction whatsoever.

There is breaking news that Kevin DiGregory, the top prosecuting attorney in the espionage case against two former AIPAC employees — Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman — is leaving for a private sector position at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.

Republican Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Larry Craig (R-ID), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Arlen Specter (R-PA) join 19 Democrat Senators on a letter calling for the State Department and Condoleezza Rice to do a full policy review of America’s relations toward Cuba.

Senator Joe Lieberman may be trying to pump up support for John McCain among American Jews and even those in Israel, but a national poll out yesterday showed Hillary Clinton drawing roughly 60% support among Israelis — and Obama just about 20%.

In December, I did some research into how Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton each used legislative machinery at their disposal in the Senate to get some sense of their “executive abilities”.

I’m in Israel and Palestine through Saturday — and am finding some interesting stuff on the internet as I fight jet lag. First of all, Slate has a fascinating Delegate Counter that allows one to go through all of the states left in the Democratic primary process and plug in assumptions about performance.

Just saw this interesting news. Co-Architect of Bush detainee policies leaving government: Architect of Bush’s Detainee Policies to Step Down A principal architect of the Bush administration’s detainee policies is stepping down, just as military officials gear up for the Guantanamo Bay trial of alleged planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, conspiracy.

Hillary Clinton gave a major foreign policy address yesterday that has some great strengths. I disagree with her take on Cuba and find it unfortunate that she can’t move to roughly the same position of managed cooperation and conflict with Cuba that she advocates with China.