Everyone should read this article. Effectively it’s about how the Bush administration is weaseling out of considering Yassir Arafat a ‘terrorist’.

Bush said Monday that the Palestinian leader’s past as a peace negotiator exempts Arafat from the post-Sept. 11 U.S. policy that a country or entity that harbors terrorists will be dealt with as terrorists.

Under the post-September-11 doctine, Arafat clearly at least ‘harbors’ terrorists, because he doesn’t swiftly, loudly, and consistently denounce terrorists fighting for his cause, and he does not appear to move to arrest those under his authority who commit or plan acts of terror. That he’s won the Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t enter into it. At worst, he’s a murderer; in the very best possibility, he’s an ineffectual figurehead of a leader who cannot make meaningful promises.

If Arafat has any kind of authority to negotiate for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, then he’s responsible for the recent bombings. If these bombers are not within his control, he’s not worth negotiating with. Either way, the path to peace in the region does not lead through Arafat.

Colin Powell put a little different spin on the same topic on CBS this morning, saying “It would not serve our purpose right now to brand him individually as a terrorist.” That’s a very different statement, and it hints at a strategy. I sure hope so.

Update: maybe this information will help the U.S. government to decide whether Arafat deserves an ‘exemption’.