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At the very start of an appearance today with George Mitchell, his special Middle East envoy, President Obama was heard to joke that "compared to steroids, this is going to be a breeze," CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports.

Mitchell headed an investigation into steroid use in baseball in 2007. His new job has him departing on a peacemaking mission to strengthen the Israel/Hamas ceasefire, Mr. Obama said this afternoon.

"When he speaks, he speaks for us," Mr. Obama said at the appearance, alongside Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Many Israeli analysts believe Mitchell's appointment could signal a shift away from the pro-Israel policies of President Bush. He arrives in Israel Wednesday.