Passover in August, Christmas in September…

So, I don’t know about you but I am clearing my schedule for the end of September. If the Obama administration is to be believed it will be a turning point in modern history. 

First, at the time of the G8-plus-1-plus-5-plus-3-carry-the-1-times-everyone-minus-the-ones-we-don’t-like meetings in Italy, it was announced that the U.S. was going to give Iran until the next gathering of the G-whiz kids to make a move in the general direction of progress on their little problem with all those centrifuges and all that enriched uranium. The next such meeting is in that renowned center of global statecraft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 24 and 25. (Last known outbreak of diplomacy: when charitable Steelers fans chose not to actually drink blood out of the skull of the most recent Cleveland fan to accidentally wander up to the wrong tailgate party in the parking lot of Heinz Field.)

That’s a busy time of year for diplomacy as it is what with the UN General Assembly meeting scheduled for the last week of September not to mention the first annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative since Clinton also became the name of America’s Secretary of State which is scheduled for the 22nd through the 25th. Both of these events are to take place in New York City.

Now, yet another event to which to look forward: during a press briefing following yesterday’s meeting between Barack Obama and Egyptian Pharaoh…er…president — whatever  they are calling their autocratic rulers these days — Hosni Mubarak, Robert Gibbs responded to reports the U.S. will be presenting a more detailed plan for an Israeli-Palestinian peace process by saying he felt the time of the UN General Assembly meeting would be “an important opportunity to continue to make progress on comprehensive Middle Peace.” (I’m sorry for the shot at President Mubarak. I can’t help it. Yesterday at the Four Seasons I was having breakfast, minding my own business among the scores of giant, armed thugs with squiggly wires in their ears and when I got up to leave I was told we were in “lock down” and that we would not be allowed out of the restaurant until Mubarak and his entourage decamped and gave us the word we were free again. Imagine my surprise. I thought Passover had taken care of this problem.)

Could it really be that things are going so badly with regard to the health care debate that the White House feels compelled solve all the major intractable problems faced by the world at once just to provide a distraction? And on top of that the premiere (and quite possibly the last episode) of ABC’s new show “Cougar Town” starring Courtney Cox is slated for September 23d. 

Peace. Disarmament. Another member of the “Friends” cast being wrestled to the ground by middle age. It’s why I love back-to-school time more than any other season of the year.

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