Bush's Next Step? Who Knows?

When it comes to achieving peace in the Middle East, President Bush seems to have no idea what to do next.

As Bush himself said in a Rose Garden appearance yesterday, one day after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas publicly agreed to start peace talks: "No matter how important yesterday was, it's not nearly as important as tomorrow and the days beyond."

It might have been a good time for the president to make some suggestions about how to go forward, put some ideas on the table, and maybe even twist some arms. But instead, all we heard from Bush were a few more vague promises. Here is the text of his statement, all one minute and 23 seconds of it.

Standing beside Olmert and Abbas, who came to the White House for what White House Press Secretary had earlier described as an "after party" (see yesterday's column), Bush said: "One thing I've assured both gentlemen is that the United States will be actively engaged in the process, that we will use our power to help you, as you come up with the necessary decisions to lay out a Palestinian state that will live side by side in peace with Israel."

But what does that mean? Will Bush personally engage, as many Middle East experts consider necessary for any chance of success? Or will he just sit back and hope for the best?

CNN's Wolf Blitzer yesterday tried to get the president to explain his plans, but to no avail. Here's the video.

Blitzer: "What are you personally, personally going to do to make sure that this really works, that there is a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, hopefully by the end of next year?"

Bush: "First of all, any deal that gets done has to be agreed on by the parties. In other words, America can't impose our vision on the two parties. If that happens, then there is not going to be a deal that'll last. So my -- "

Blitzer: "But as you know, Mr. President -- "

Bush: "My job is to facilitate the negotiations that were agreed upon yesterday. Yesterday was a hopeful beginning. But as I said in the statement here in the Rose Garden with Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas by my side, it was a hopeful beginning, but -- and it was important -- but not nearly as important as the days that are to come.

"And so our job is to facilitate those discussions, is to make sure they -- that they stay on track, that they are a focused effort. But we can't dictate the results."

Blitzer: "But a lot of times, as you know, studying these negotiations, they need help from the president of the United States to bridge those gaps, especially on some of the most sensitive issues which they are about to discuss: Jerusalem, settlements, borders."