What Bush didn't say

It didn't take long for President Bush's first, and likely only, speech to the Israeli Knesset to create political shock waves in the US.

In the advent of what The Onion last year dubbed the 24-second news cycle, Bush's speech very quickly became a political story about his not-so-veiled swipe at US Sen. Barack Obama, former President Carter and other political opponents who have suggested that the US should sometimes use diplomacy instead of military force around the world.

The Bush-Obama flap has been covered extensively.

But what has been overlooked is what Bush didn't say.

Bush didn't use his historic address to the Knesset to talk about what is supposed to be a top priority for him in his final year: The peace process he officially launched last November in Annapolis.

He didn't use the address to speak directly to the skeptical lawmakers who will be asked to support any peace deal with the Palestinians.

He didn't use the address to speak directly to the Israeli public and urge them to support a peace deal with the Palestinians.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino was asked after the speech about the omission and here's what she said:

"First of all, this is the celebration of Israel's founding. That is the purpose of the event today -- it's not meant to be a 'kitchen sink' speech. In every interview and every opportunity the President has talked about the specifics of the policy. You know what that is. And nothing has changed in the last 36 hours."

If it was meant to be merely a celebration of Israel's founding, Bush probably would not have spoken about the threats from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. Nor would he have laid out his Utopian vision of the Middle East in 2068.

"Where people say that the president of the United States, this President has been the greatest friend Israel has ever had, he's also the first President who has ever articulated what a state could be for the Palestinians," Perino said, "and then given them the tools to achieve that peace with the Israelis in a way that doesn't impose the peace on them, but encourages them to establish it on their own."

Bush will meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and PA PM Salam Fayyad this weekend at the World Economic Forum in Egypt, and Perino indicated that Bush would use his address there to talk more about the Palestinians.

Still, in many ways, Bush's decision to completely avoid talking about the peace process was seen by some as a squandered opportunity.

(AP photo)