Analysis: Sharon beats Abbas in battle for Bush

[drewb]

The clear impression from the White House press
conference held by George Bush and Ariel Sharon on
Tuesday is that the U.S. president accepted the
Israeli prime minister's argument that the primary
issue is the dismantling of armed groups by the
Palestinian Authority.

-snip-

This is a clear indication that Bush is not
prepared to get into a confrontation with
Sharon, and that what is uppermost on his mind
now, are electoral concerns. A recent poll
showed his approval rating to be at its lowest
since Sept. 11.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/323516.html