Bush in Israel: Unplugged

Olmert to Bush aide: "Holding on..."

President Bush had barely gotten off Air Force One in Israel when the political corruption investigation shadowing the visit came into play.

As Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert greeted Bush aides, he was asked by National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley how he was doing.

"Holding on, holding on," Olmert told Hadley as his comment was picked up by an open mic. "Don't worry."

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Too close for comfort?

Police have been aggressively pursuing the investigation of Olmert and have used Israel's gala celebrations to their benefit.

Earlier in the week, police reportedly questioned Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino owner who was part of Bush's honorary delegation to Israel.

Adelson also served as honorary chair of Israeli President Shimon Peres's "Facing Tomorrow" conference that has drawn a large cross-section of world leaders.

On Wednesday night, Adelson sat in the front row of the gala event with Bush, Peres and Olmert, who sat four seats away from the businessman. Earlier in the day, Peres sat between Olmert and Adelson.

Police reportedly want to know if Olmert asked Adelson to help one of his campaign contributors. Olmert has denied any wrongdoing, but has vowed to step down if he is indicted.

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Bush: Men are screwing things up

Another open mic picked up part of a chat Bush had with Peres at his Jerusalem office where the two men joked about the central role women are playing in the ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians.

Israel's chief negotiator is Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who has a close relationship with Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State who is trying to keep things on track.

I'm thinking "this is the first time that two ladies are negotiating peace," Peres told Bush. "I can't recall any other situation with such a combination..."

"The men haven't been able to get it done," Bush replied. "Maybe they will."

"The men are going down, you know," Peres said. "We are in a very unpromising situation."

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Laura Bush avoids international incident

While Bush met with Olmert and Peres, First Lady Laura Bush toured a medical clinic and a school in Jerusalem that promotes Arab-Jewish understanding.

But, according to one Israeli official, the first lady's visit almost created an international incident.

At first, he said, the plan was to take Laura Bush to a medical clinic in Pisgat Zeev, a massive, disputed suburb in East Jerusalem that Israel has annexed, but is considered illegal under international law.

Israeli organizers cautioned the Bush advance folks that they couldn't take Laura Bush to the contested clinic, so they decided instead to take the first lady to a clinic in West Jerusalem.

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Israeli Kitsch for Bush

Wednesday night's gala celebration for Israel featured a mix of laudatory speeches, patriotic video tributes and kitschy musical numbers that Peres seems to find fitting.

Last time Bush was here, Peres asked a group of Israeli kids to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (in English, Hebrew and Arabic) to the US president when he arrived, a tribute that won the appropriate mocking from Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show."

This time around, the Peres conference featured an especially odd performance starring two fit Israeli guys performing a kind of improvisational dance as two singers performed James Taylor's 1971 hit, "You've Got A Friend."

Get it?

"When you're down and troubled

And you need a helping hand

And nothing, whoa nothing is going right.

Close your eyes and think of me

And soon I will be there

To brighten up even your darkest nights...'

In the end, there may have been no better metaphor for the evening's celebration...

(AP photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)