Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is preparing to travel to Washington later this month to visit outgoing President Bush one last time. It’ll be the last meeting as their respective countries leaders as both Bush and Olmert (arguably two of the worst national leaders) have been elected out of office.
With that being said, Olmert’s taking advantage of these last two months of Bush reign to wack the administration’s “pinata filled with goodies” one last time:
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will visit President George Bush in Washington later this month in an attempt to reach last minute agreements and extract a number of promises before both leaders step down.
Olmert is looking for commitments from Bush on the peace process with the Palestinians, U.S. military aid and various arms deals.
Here’s his laundry list of goals:
- the peace process with the Palestinians and Syria
- dealing with Iran and its allies
- the future of U.S. military aid and cooperation
- the cancellation of the visa requirement for Israelis who want to visit the U.S.
And what response do we expect from President Bush to PM Olmert?
Olmert will have to make due with a verbal promise that Bush will pass on his support for Israel on the matter to his successor. This will not commit Obama, but American presidents tend not to ignore their predecessors’ promises.
Enjoy your trip to Washington, Olmert. I hear the trees look lovely this time of year. Don’t forget to take your camera and get a picture next to the Lincoln statue.
[source: Haaretz]
