Important information on the Bush Knesset speech, beyond the news of his inappropriate foray into domestic partisan politics on foreign soil

President Bush, for some reason persists in visiting the Middle East where he continues to rack up points on the scorecard of rebuffs, embarrassment, and indignity. Once again, (didn't I just watch this program) King Fahd spit in Mr. Bush's beggars bowl, once again violence raged all around the occasion of the visit, and once again militancy defined Mr. Bush's approach to the region.

President Bush spoke in the Knesset on the occasion of Israel's 60th birthday and much happened there. One of the things that happened embroiled the president in domestic presidential politics, which then dominated the news of the speech, distracting Americans from other important information.

Here are more things we should know about this speech in addition to the "appeasement bomb."
Bush visit to Israel revives talk of a strike on Iran

Israel's Army Radio reported Friday that the possibility of an American strike on Iran was raised in private discussions during Bush's visit.

And Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said that the Israeli prime minister and American president were "on the same page" on the issue of Iran.

"Both Israel and the United States agree that tangible steps have to be taken, that we cannot sit idly by and see Iran develop a nuclear weapon and that the international community has an obligation to take tangible steps to prevent that from happening," said Regev.

Meanwhile, Bush practically ignored a central foreign policy goal for his final year: to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that the president himself launched in Annapolis, Md., last November....

Two conservative religious lawmakers walked out during a speech by Olmert when he raised the subject of ceding land to the Palestinians.

One of them suggested that Bush is a stronger Zionist than Olmert. Olmert should "learn from the president of the United States what Zionism is," Israeli lawmaker Zvi Hendel said in a statement after walking out of the session as Bush looked on. Had Bush broached the issue, some analysts said, he could have been greeted with hisses, catcalls or even a similar walk-out protest....

At the same time, Bush's hesitancy to push the Israelis in the peace talks provoked three Arab-Israeli lawmakers to raise a "We shall overcome" sign when Bush started speaking....

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