So Ruemmler and the small group of people committed to the issue in the Administration will continue their strategy of filling the pipeline with nominees and hoping for votes.
"The attorney general has said this is a priority, and I know he is absolutely committed to the issue," said Brendan Johnson, the United States attorney for South Dakota, who is also chairman of the agency's Native American Issues Subcommittee.
"People who have spent many years committed to the issue of maternal health were understandably worried that these figures could divert attention from an issue that they care passionately about," Dr. Horton said.
China does not really need a deal — they have already offered what they will do anyway — but China/Japan, or EU and, well, anybody truly committed to the issue could spring a surprise in the closing two days.
US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati says he believes the organization "has made a lot of strides" before adding: "We have a long ways to go". Andreassen believes Gulati is committed to the issue, as are a handful of others.
A senior administration official insisted that Mr. Bush remained firmly committed to the issue, and said, "There's a lot of quiet stuff that's happening with the Arabs and Palestinians, focused on the things outlined in the president's speech, writing a new constitution, organizing elections, with the understanding that elections begin well in advance of election day".
He went on to say that if he had not been at the G8, he would have been at the seminar in London, and he was "personally committed" to the issue.
