BUSH’S WORD

I felt I was out on a limb a little when I predicted that president Bush’s main focus after Iraq would be the Israeli-Palestinian question. But I simply went by what this president actually said, which is often a good indicator of what he will actually do. The key to understanding Bush, I think, is the fact that both Powell and Rumsfeld are confidants. Bush is smart enough to know that the combination is better than either one alone – that another attempt at Israeli-Palestinian peace without desposing Saddam would have been pointless; but that not having a bash after deposing Saddam would be a foolishly wasted opportunity. It still may not work out. But the president deserves credit for trying – and, pace his critics on right and left, for getting the timing right.