More Q Than A on the Middle East

There was trouble from the first question at yesterday's news conference by President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The AP's Tom Raum had just asked a question about the violence in Iraq, and Bush looked down to gather his thoughts before turning to Maliki. "I'll start," the president said.

"Na'am," said Maliki, using the Arabic word for "yes."

"Okay, you start," Bush offered, evidently thinking Maliki had said "no."

"Na'am," Maliki said again.

"You want to start? Go ahead," the perplexed president pressed. Bush had by now put the interpretation device in his ear, an end to the who-goes-first game.

"Na'am," Maliki repeated. "Na'am."

In any language, Bush is having trouble getting to yes in the Middle East.

As 100 Iraqis perish a day in the violence, and as missiles pound Israel and Lebanon, Maliki came to Washington to show his resolve as he tries to put down the insurgency. But the two leaders, long on resolve, had few answers for the bloodshed in Iraq, and the mood was somber.

"Obviously, the violence in Baghdad is still terrible, and, therefore, there needs to be more troops," allowed the usually upbeat Bush.

The two made no effort to conceal their differences over the violence in Lebanon. Maliki wants an immediate cease-fire by Israel; Bush doesn't. "We had a frank exchange of views on this situation," Bush announced, using diplomatic code for "total impasse."

The Iraqi, whose views on Israel's military strikes are well known -- "I condemn these aggressions," he has said -- declared that he raised the issue "in all seriousness" with Bush and demanded an immediate cease-fire.