The Incredible Shrinking Agenda

Q: "So there won't necessarily be a complete, ratified signed agreement by the end of your -- "

Bush: "There will be an agreement on what a state would look like, in my judgment. I think it'll happen."

And here's Bush yesterday in the Rose Garden: "[I]t's important to lay out a vision in order for there to be a Palestinian state once road map obligations are met. What has to happen in order for there to be a peaceful settlement of a longstanding dispute is there to be a outlines of a state clearly defined, so that at some point in time, the Palestinians who agree that Israel ought to be -- exist, and agree that a state ought to live side by side with Israel in peace, have something to be for."

Today's Press Conference

At his joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today, Bush sidestepped any talk of specific goals. "Step one of any complicated process that is going to require a lot of hard work and serious dialogue is whether the mind-set is right," he said. "The fundamental questions that I was seeking at Annapolis and on my return trip is -- is -- is the understanding about the power of what a vision will do for peace. . . .

"I come -- you know, people in America say, 'Well, do you really think these guys are serious? You know, we've heard a lot of rhetoric in the past, a lot of grand proclamations.' I wouldn't be standing here if I did not believe that you, Mr. Prime Minister, and President Abbas and your negotiators were serious. . . .

"In the rest of my trip, I will be talking about the opportunity for Middle Eastern peace and reminding people in the neighborhood that if they truly want to see two states living side by side in peace, they have an obligation -- Arab leaders have an obligation -- to recognize Israel's important contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East, and to encourage and support the Palestinians as they make tough choices. I'm an optimistic people -- person. People say, 'Do you think it's possible during your presidency?' And the answer is, I'm very hopeful, and we'll work hard to that end."

Bush promised to be tough when needed: "If it looks like there needs to be a little pressure, Mr. Prime Minister, you know me well enough to know I'll be more than willing to provide it."

But Olmert made it clear that Bush hasn't started pressuring him yet -- or if he has, it isn't having any effect. "I hope that I don't disappoint anyone, certainly not the president, because we talked at length, if I will say that the president didn't ask for me to make any commitments other than the ones that Israel made already with regard to the peace process, and as I've spelled it out on many different occasions."

Welcome to Israel

Joel Greenberg writes in the Chicago Tribune that Bush is encountering in Israel "a political landscape that has changed little in the weeks since Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged at a Mideast peace conference to revive negotiations.

"The international gathering hosted by Bush at Annapolis, Md., in November was supposed to jump-start talks between the Israelis and Palestinians with the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of 2008.

"Instead, both sides have reverted to familiar patterns of behavior, bogging down early efforts to revive the negotiations. There is little faith among ordinary Israelis and Palestinians that a breakthrough is possible.

"'Things haven't moved very much, and the question is why anyone expected that they would,' said Mark Heller, director of research at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. 'Expectations were artificially inflated by the hype surrounding Annapolis, which was made to look like something more significant than it really was.'"