Now that the fighting in Gaza seems to have been abated - probably temporary - President Obama would go a long way in convincing the world of his pursuit of peace in the Middle East by unilaterally deploying massive amounts of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.

He doesn't have to go through Hamas. He could do it under the auspices of the United Nations. Whatever. But the point of this exercise would be to show the world that he is serious about improving relations with our Islamic neighbors. By reaching out to the civilians who were devastated by the last bit of fighting, Obama might be able to undermine the credibility of Hamas' guerrilla actions against Israel.

Aiding in reconstruction will also negate the argument that these are a desperate people caged up in poverty by the Israelis. If the rockets fly again, after we've sent in aid, we can wash our hands of them. War is their choice.