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back to the drawing board, because that was a big blow."
• Vague bromides and promises about deficits and spending are easy for politicians. Real spending cuts aren't. Despite all the national talk of needing to tackle deficit spending, the military pensions debacle illustrates how Americans and their elected officials continue to resist -- often fiercely -- cuts to almost any specific program, big or small.
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• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seeking to keep a pair of delicate diplomatic efforts afloat, President Barack Obama will personally appeal for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward on peace talks with the Palestinians, while also trying to manage Israel's deep suspicion of his pursuit of a nuclear accord with Iran.
• Obama and Netanyahu are meeting Monday at the White House at a critical juncture in both sets of negotiations. The U.S. and its international partners are in the midst of new talks with Iran aimed at forging a long-term nuclear agreement. And a U.S.-imposed April deadline for completing a framework for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is fast approaching with few signs of tangible progress.
• Aaron David Miller, a longtime Middle East peace adviser to presidents from both parties, said the tension sparked by the nuclear negotiations will probably force Obama to tread carefully as he presses Netanyahu on the pursuit of peace with the Palestinians.
• "It's very hard for the president right now, having created a negotiation with the Iranians that the Israeli prime minister hates, to then push hard on the other issue," said Miller, now vice president of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars.
• While there has been progress on both high-stakes issues, the odds of reaching final agreements on either matter are low. Shortly before departing for Washington, Netanyahu vowed to "stand steadfast" on Israeli interests in the face of heavy international pressure to make concessions to the Palestinians.
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