Bush's Messiah Complex

"Administration officials insist that the estimate showed Iran remains capable of, and interested in, developing a nuclear weapon."

As for real-time views of Bush's legacy, Abramowitz and Knickmeyer write: "In Arab streets, many blame Washington for the plight of Iraqis and Palestinians. Bush's presidency has been 'disastrous,' said Hisham Kassem, an Egyptian journalist who received a National Endowment for Democracy award from him last fall. 'America's neither feared nor loved. It's neither feared by the regimes anymore, and it's hated by the people of the Middle East. . . . That's the Bush legacy.'"

Matt Spetalnick writes for Reuters: "Bush's goal of securing an Israeli-Palestinian accord by the end of 2008, the focus of his first presidential visit to Israel and the West Bank later this week, faces long odds, not least because of doubts about his commitment.

"For Bush, who had disdained Bill Clinton's failed peace effort in the twilight of his presidency, the underlying motive appears to be about using his waning months in office to shape a legacy not completely defined by the unpopular war in Iraq. . . .

"Many analysts say that if Israelis and Palestinians are to resolve differences that have defied solution for decades, it will require direct, sustained presidential involvement to get the two sides to take the effort seriously.

"Bush has made clear, however, that he has no intention of adopting what his administration once derided as Clinton's 'shoot the moon' approach to Middle East peacemaking.

"Though his trip is meant to show a personal commitment, he will find it hard to overcome skepticism in the region over whether he has the perseverance and evenhandedness to shepherd through a deal before leaving office next January."

Spetalnick notes that "Bush and his aides have been deliberately vague about objectives and have set expectations low, dampening talk of breakthroughs or even tangible advances. . . .

"Many analysts think tough negotiating tactics would be of little use anyway since Bush will be dealing with politically weak leaders capable of making good on few of their promises."

Mark Silva writes in the Chicago Tribune that "analysts say the president will arrive in the region with too little to promise and too late in the game during this -- his first visit to Israel as president -- to offer any real hope of securing a lasting peace. . . .

"'It's just a simple fact of life,' said Anthony Cordesman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'You can't, as president, leave a legacy in the form of an agenda for the next president. The only legacy you can leave is what you actually accomplished while you were in office. And at this point in time, with effectively a year to go, your legacy is what you've done, not what you would like to do.'"

Warren P. Strobel writes for McClatchy Newspapers: "The official Arab view of Bush was summed up inadvertently by a diplomat from a major Arab state, who indicated disbelief that the president will use the trip to renew his drive for Middle East democracy.