Not sure what to make of Ross. When the stuff got stirred up he initially was doing a little jabbing at the Bush Admin. He has now changed to being pretty supportive.
The answer is likely that the Admins. policies were not as clear in the beginning and Arafat has been brought down a few pegs. He appears to know his stuff.
I'm not at all sure what the Bush administration could have done differently. Once Sharon is in office and Arafat decides to use violence, the future is set in stone.
As far as Ross goes, the story he tells is convincing to me. Still, I wonder if there is anything there that is calculated to make Clinton and Ross look better.