WASHINGTON — Think of it always. Speak of it never.
Conceived for different circumstances, Leon Gambetta's old formula about Alsace-Lorraine serves as a guide today for foreign powers watching the Bush administration fade fitfully from office.
Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, Pyongyang and other capitals are continually calculating whether to make deals and accommodations with Washington now or wait out this administration and try their luck with a new president. The notion that timing is everything has become the silent driving force of international power politics as Jan. 20, 2009, approaches.