1115.org

On the face of it, Bush’s Middle East trip did not achieve very much. AP’s verdict was:

Bush arrived back in Washington late Sunday with little to show for the trip. Saudi Arabia rebuffed his plea for help with soaring oil prices, Egypt’s leader questioned his seriousness about peacemaking and there was not enough progress in the peace talks to warrant a three-way meeting of Bush with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Bush was dissed not just by Egypt, but also by Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas:

“We do not want the Americans to negotiate on our behalf,” Abbas said Sunday after talks with Mubarak. “All that we want from them is to stand by (our) legitimacy and have a minimum of neutrality.” Abbas had dinner Saturday with Bush.

“In principle, the Bush speech at the Knesset angered us, and we were not happy with it,” Abbas said Sunday. “This is our position and we have a lot of remarks (about the speech) and I frankly, clearly and transparently asked him that the American position should be balanced.”

But if you want to believe Condi Rice — and let us put the official 1115 position on record: nobody with an IQ greater than their age should be caught dead believing Condi Rice on anything — all this very forthright grumbling by Abbas in public is just political Kabuki theater. Important real progress is being made in private:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on Air Force One with Bush returning to Washington, said there were serious peace negotiations going on in private and that she expected them to intensify in the months ahead.

Too bad she can’t compromise the private negotiations by giving us any hint of what progress is being made. But at least Bush and Rice will win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for bringing peace to the Middle East. Even if the prize is never publicly announced. And the prize ceremony is kept very private.