Recall, first, that Abu Mazen, the world's only PM who bears a nom de guerre, came to Washington after making it absolutely clear - and publicly - that he represents the terrorist Aratrash and pledged his loyalty to him. Abu Mazen also clarified that he has no intention of dismantling the terrorist infrastructure; and that he comes with a list of extra-Roadmap demands which he expects Bush to impose on Israel. With this in mind, here is what The Right Man said and what he heard with no protest (quotations are in the sequence in which the comments were made):

I recently approved a grant of $20 million directly to the Palestinian Authority. Today, I'm also pleased to announce that the United States and Palestinian Authority will establish a joint Palestine Economic Development Group. This group of American and Palestinian officials will meet regularly and be charged with finding practical ways to bring jobs and growth and investment to the Palestinian economy.

True, I am "quoting out of context", but in any context, what Bush is saying is simply this: Here, Abu Mazen, is your prize for defying me on the issues of Aratrash and "dismantling terrorist infrastructure". The Right Man indeed..

In our talks this morning, Prime Minister Abbas and I covered a range of issues. We discussed the impact on the Palestinian people of the limits on their freedom of movement and the need to reduce the network of checkpoints and barriers. Prime Minister Abbas shared his concerns about Israeli settlements, confiscation of land, and the building of a security fence. He also expressed his strong desire to see the release of many more Palestinian prisoners.

That seems to be the complete agenda. So the issue of sidestepping Aratrash ("leadership not compromised by terror") and dismantling the terrorist infrastructure did not even make it as an agendum item!

Today, the government of Israel announced that it will be taking down more of the checkpoints that are making it difficult for Palestinians to travel to their jobs and schools. In addition, Israel will consider ways to reduce the impact of the security fence on the lives of the Palestinian people.

And Israel has helped -- has also pledged to transfer to the Palestinian Authority security responsibility for two additional cities in the West Bank, and to make further progress in removing settlement outposts. Like Prime Minister Abbas, Prime Minister Sharon is demonstrating that he's a partner committed to reaching a peace settlement.

... All this in addition to releasing funds and allowing Arab workers into Israel. What did Israel get in return? As Churchill discovered in the 1920s, this is an old Arab negotiating technique: demand the moon, give nothing, threaten and invent legends of "Arab street". To say the least, I find that this Arab modus operandi offends one's sense of dignity and fair play - why does The Right Man succumb?

This was the end of Bush's speech. I reiterate: not a single word about Aratrash and not a single word about confronting the Arab terrorists in Yesha. When it comes to Arabs, Bush overlooks his own requirements!

Now comes the "adding insult to injury" part. With Bush by his side (in more senses than one), Abu Mazen stated:

we are implementing our security and reform obligations.

The White House record fails to show that Abu Mazen's pants were on fire at that point, but the blatant lie is more that obvious. And The Right Man just listened. And after the big lie comes the shopping list.

[M]ovement needs to be made in terms of freeing prisoners, lifting the siege on President Arafat, Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas, and easing up freedom of movement to Palestinians. ... The outcome must correspond with your vision, Mr. President, achieving a peace that will end the occupation that started in 1967. The establishment of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just, agreed solution of the refugee question on the basis of the U.N. Resolution 194.

Complete withdrawal, Jerusalem, Right of Return.

They have not changed one iota. The Roadmap should have been declared dead right there. But wait, there is more:

This vision cannot be realized if Israel continues to grab Palestinian land. If the settlement activities in Palestinian land and construction of the so-called separation wall on confiscated Palestinian land continue, we might soon find ourselves at a situation where the foundation of peace, a free Palestine state, living side-by-side in peace and security in Israel is a factual impossibility. Nothing less than a full settlement freeze will do... all settlement activities must be stopped now, and the wall must come down

When the shopping list ended (until Abu Mazen presents the next order), a short Q and A ensued. This gave The Right Man another opportunity to continue his war against Israel:

I've constantly spoken out for the need to end the settlements... Let me talk about the wall. I think the wall is a problem, and I discussed this with Ariel Sharon. It is very difficult to develop confidence between the Palestinians and the Israel -- Israel -- with a wall snaking through the West Bank... I've constantly spoken out about the end of settlements. I have done so consistently.

In the course of the Q&A, The Right Man made two references to the Arab terrorists as follows:

It is necessary for this good man [Abu Mazen] to continue to fight off the terrorist activity that creates the conditions of insecurity for not only Israel, but for the peaceful Palestinian people. In order for us to be able to make progress on a lot of difficult issues, there has to be a firm and continued commitment to fight terror. ... I'm going to tell you point-blank that we must make sure that any terrorist activity is rooted out, in order for us to be able to deal with these big issues

Unlike Bush's comments on the "settlements" and "the Wall", this reference is bland and ambiguous. What is "rooted out"? There are specific requirements such as collecting weapons and outlawing terrorist groups, but Bush prefers such banalities as "rooting out" which may just mean "recruiting in" (i.e., recruiting the terrorists as part of Abu Mazen's armed forces) - on of the plans that are rumoured to be on Abu Mazen's mind.

Little wonder the official "Palestinian" news agencies did not conceal their joy over the Bush - Abu Mazen meeting: in the end, it was another battle in the Bush war against Israel, with the next battle to unfold on Tuesday.

There was one issue about which even Bush toned down his anti-Israel campaign: the prisoner issue. To quote,

I would never ask anybody in any society to let a prisoner out who would then commit terrorist actions. And I think that's logical and clear.

Frankly, I would have expected much, much more.