So - what did the heavily touted Annapolis peace conference achieve?

[peacebird]

:shrug:

All the hoopla about bush's big diplomatic push and Condi's shuttle diplomacy seems to have faded abruptly from the top news with no mention of major gains or even modest successes....

Was anything accomplished, other than a bumbled photo op where bush called Olmert "Elmo"?

[hobbit709]

1. He's still batting .000, like on everything.

[ccpup]

2. yes!

a photo-op, an attempt for * to look "pResidential", something for Condi to do ... or look like she was doing, and they got some okay Press. Mission Accomplished!

[MissWaverly]

3. massive traffic tie up

other than that, not much.

[ben_meyers]

4. About as much as the

Camp David Accords and every other Mideast peace negotiations. Nothing.

[applegrove]

5. "bush called Olmert "Elmo"?" LOL!

[peacebird]

8. here's the video of bush mangling Olmert's name...... LOL!

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/27/bush-pronunciation-olmert-abbas/

[thepurpose]

6. Bush learnt he can't pronounce names?

[Drum]

7. See here:

US withdraws Mideast resolution at UN
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3084262

:(

[peacebird]

9. ah-ha - it was the old Friday night news dump.....

Thanks!

[gratuitous]

10. Oh yeah? You libruls!

Something might have happened, and then you'd all be real sorry, boy, that you were skeptical of His Ultra Mega Greatness George W. Bush!

Now, perhaps you think I'm being snarky and sarcastic with that sentiment. But not in the United States under George Bush, because that ridiculous sentence is not that far removed from what Time magazine's Massimo Calabresi wrote in anticipation of the One Day Summit In Annapolis, Wherein the MBA President Solves the Problems of the Middle East, A Problem that Has Plagued the Planet for Over Half a Century, In One Morning's Work:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1687457,00.html?imw=Y

Bush, the Born-Again Peacemaker
Monday, Nov. 26, 2007 By MASSIMO CALABRESI/WASHINGTON

{Snippage to the money quotes}

If the far right is worried about this progress, however, the far left is confused by it. They have scorned Bush's diplomatic forays as crass legacy-hunting, and are at a loss when he follows through.

* * *

Low expectations, his legacy-driven need to offset the Iraq fiasco, and sheer luck could help.

________________________________

Right. The far left (I think Calabresi means us) will be at a loss when Bush follows through. Like that's ever happened before. Sure thing, Massimo. Why don't you put down the glass and slowly stagger away from the bar; I think you've had enough.