Bush Rails at Obama, Democrats, in Middle East Speech

A speech, the intent of which was to celebrate peace, did not prevent the President from unleashing some fighting words.

In a talk at Knesset, meant to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence, Bush implicitly implied that Obama and other Democrats favor "appeasement" of terrorists akin to how Western leaders mollified Hitler during World War II. This suggestion was confirmed by White House aides close to the President.

While the rationale behind Bush making these remarks is unknown, one possible reason could be to raise doubts regarding Obama's stance with Jewish voters. This was a tack that McCain took when he accused Obama of being the favored candidate for the Hamas military group.

In response to these comments, Obama called Bush's words "a smear" and called on voters to "turn the page" over Bush's failed Middle Eastern policies.