Bush Gets a Taste of the Sheik's Life

By Michael Abramowitz
Monday, January 14, 2008

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 13

When President Bush showed up Sunday to meet United Arab Emirates President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, he was presented with the biggest bling Secret Service agents said they had ever seen: a giant necklace set with hundreds of rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, holding a medallion that included a hand-painted enamel American flag.

It was just one example of the kind of lavish wealth on display as Bush makes his way through Persian Gulf countries bursting with oil money.

The president and his party stayed here Sunday night at the Emirates Palace, a giant Taj Mahal-like hotel that cost more than $3 billion to build. The hotel has a nearly mile-long private beach with sand imported from Algeria. The interior hallways are lined with gold and marble.

But before he went to bed, Bush helicoptered to the desert encampment of the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheik Khalifa's younger brother. There he dined under tents on lamb, veal and chicken, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed showed Bush the falcons with which he hunts on his property, according to White House press secretary Dana Perino. She likened the atmosphere to the kind of relaxed feeling at a neighborhood barbecue back home.

Perino said the president had "a really nice time."

Bush is not done with Middle Eastern royal hospitality: On Monday, he will fly to Riyadh for two days of bonding time with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who famously distrusts telephones and prefers to practice his diplomacy in person. Bush will have dinner Monday with the king at his palace in Riyadh, where the main reception area includes a giant plexiglass fish tank that is 30 by 12 by 15 feet , according to the White House.

On Tuesday, Bush will travel to the Al Janadriyah Farm, the country retreat where the king maintains a stable of some 150 thoroughbred stallions. The dining room has a giant U-shaped table with capacity to seat up to 300 guests.

Perhaps the biggest question facing the two leaders is not how they will cope with Iran or the Middle East peace process but how the two will manage to stay alert when they meet: Bush is an early bird, while Abdullah is a night owl known to greet visiting dignitaries at very late hours.

At a background briefing yesterday, an unnamed senior official broke into laughter when told that reporters seemed to have a wager about how long the meetings might last.

"You know, this is a matter of great sensitivity, and I don't really want to be wading in," he replied. "But if someone wants to offer me 10 percent on the side, I could see what I could do."

Tell Us What You Really Think

Is Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert auditioning to replace Tony Blair as Bush's new "poodle"?

Certainly Olmert, who may be less popular in Israel than Bush is in the United States, appeared to be working overtime to endear himself to the lame-duck American president.

In a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post, Olmert said that in all his years in public life, he did not recall "that America was led by someone as friendly since the days of President Ford."

"He's also a great guy," Olmert added of Bush. "I know that people say all kinds of things about him. Gentlemen, he's a graduate of Yale and Harvard. People don't graduate from Harvard and Yale without wisdom and understanding of processes and domestic and international relationships. He's a very wise man."

Olmert may have topped himself in his news conference with Bush in Jerusalem, which opened with the prime minister thanking Bush for "the power that you used for good causes for this region and for the world."

The two then went on to answer questions about Iran and the Middle East, but when the questions were over, Olmert thanked Bush for "the courage that you inspire in all of us to carry on with our obligations. . . .

"Sometimes it's not easy, but when I look at you, and I know what you have to take upon your shoulders and how you do it, the manner in which you do it, the courage that you have, the determination that you have, and your loyalty to the principles that you believe in -- it makes all of us feel that we can also . . . move forward," Olmert said.

Even Bush seemed a bit embarrassed.

It is generally seen as good politics in Israel for the prime minister to be close to the American president, and Bush is probably more popular in Israel than elsewhere. Even so, Yaron Ezrahi, a political scientist at Hebrew University, said in an interview that Olmert is overdoing it.

"It evokes among Israelis a cynical response -- it becomes an object of laughter," Ezrahi said. "I don't think a great statesman would engage in that kind of language."

White House Blogs: Nothing to Write Home About

Those involved with White House communications are not particularly big fans of the press corps these days, which perhaps explains their decision to go into competition: Perino and other top officials are blogging the Mideast trip through the official White House Web site.

They are not exactly dishing the inside dirt.

In his maiden "Trip Notes" entry, describing Bush's meeting with his Iraq commanders on Saturday, Stephen J. Hadley the blogger sounded pretty much like Stephen J. Hadley the cautious lawyer White House reporters know well:

"General Petraeus described continued progress on the security side but emphasized that there was still hard work to do. We are up against a very resilient and brutal enemy that is very good at adapting to our change in tactics."

Matt Drudge probably does not need to worry yet.

Quotes of the Week

"Checkpoints create frustrations for people. They create a sense of security for Israel; they create massive frustrations for the Palestinians. You'll be happy to hear that my motorcade of a mere 45 cars was able to make it through without being stopped."

"I'm not a timetable person. Actually, I am on a timetable -- got 12 months."

-- Bush at Thursday's news conference with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.