To the Point

America's Options for Middle East Peace

The war on terrorism has put new pressure on President Bush to help reduce the violence between Israel and the Palestinians. So as Vice President Cheney visits Arab countries to look for support, General Anthony Zinni returns to the Middle East. Zinni will reportedly revive attempts to install American monitors to help Israelis and Palestinians negotiate a cease-fire. What will he find when he gets there? We look at the political and military climate on the West Bank with leading Israeli and Palestinian pollsters, then get an authoritative review of America's available options from former Ambassadors Dennis Ross and Martin Indyk and the president of The Jewish Peace Lobby. Newsmaker: US to File Criminal Charges against Andersen The Andersen accounting firm has until Thursday to plead guilty to obstructing justice. The federal government says the big-five firm failed to prevent the shredding of files for its client Enron. Criminal charges are just the latest blow to a firm that helped change the image of accountants as drudges in green eye shades. Ken Brown co-authored a story on Andersen's evolution in today's Wall Street Journal. Reporter's Notebook: Impact of the Matt Shepard Murder It's been three years since the murder of a young gay university student in Laramie, Wyoming, but the story maintains its hold. MTV and HBO have aired movies about it, and NBC will dramatize the murder this weekend, focusing on Shepard's parents' moral dilemma over seeking the death penalty. Professor Beth Loffreda, author of Losing Matt Shepard, says the case has brought new awareness of hate crimes.