Bill Clinton is the missing element that could provide the momentum to move the Northern Ireland peace process forward, according to an influential Irish American.
Former congressman Bruce Morrison, who persuaded the then US president to play a pivotal role in the creation of the Good Friday Agreement, said Mr Clinton would not have allowed "the should and will word game to get out of hand".
And he warned that the postponement of the May 29 poll could cause long-term damage to the peace process as well as the electorate's faith in politics as a means of creating a stable society.
"I think the last seven months have really damaged the process's momentum. No one should think the Good Friday Agreement is indestructible," he told the Irish News last night.
"Politicians and voters have to deal with elections when they fall, that's what happens in democracies.
"The democratic deficit that's always existed in Northern Ireland needs to be filled in, not hollowed out."
Mr Morrisons said that Mr Clinton's deal-making ability was sorely missed.
"There are a lot of differences between George Bush and Bill Clinton but there is no sharp deviation between the administrations on Northern Ireland. Clinton had an impact in those difficult spots and created resolution, not stalemate," he said.
"Clinton was personally engaged and committed in this and was always ready to make that phone call – that's the missing element now."
Mr Morrison said he believed that the current impasse had arisen because the bottom lines of the Ulster Unionists and Sinn Féin didn't "overlap" in current negotiations.
"When it's like that you can never get an agreement but Bill Clinton had a knack of defining an overlap that people could agree on," he said.
"It's not clear that Clinton can play that role when he is not president but I would not rule it out."
The former congressman claimed that David Trimble had been "let off the hook" through the election postponement.
"Only David Trimble can decide what's enough for him from the IRA but he is always let off the hook," he said.
"The institutions were suspended (in October) but he's not satisfied. Elections have now been cancelled but he's still not satisfied."
Mr Morrison said he believed that the IRA "doesn't want to go back to war".
"It's about when and how we get from here to there, not whether or not we get there," he said.
"Are people really worrying that the IRA will bomb them in their houses?
"Unionists are more afraid of republican politics. It's a terrible thing to have told republicans to do politics and then tell them to stop because they are so good at it."
