To the Point

Trilateral Summit in the Middle East

With his first Middle East summit over, President Bush is on his way to Qatar to thank American troops for their role in the war in Iraq. In Aqaba, Jordan he met separately and together with Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas, the Prime Ministers of Israel and the Palestinians. Abbas said it is time for an end to the armed Intifada. Sharon said he-ll start -immediately- to dismantle what he calls -unauthorized outposts.- While the President sounded a note of historic optimism, saying that an American -verification team- will monitor progress, all agree that-s just the beginning of another lengthy process that could be derailed at almost any moment. We talk about what was promised and the prospects for implementation with American, Israeli and Palestinian journalists, a defense analyst at the Independent Institute and a former US ambassador to Israel. Making News: Blair under the Gun on WMD Issue British Prime Minister Tony Blair is under attack by the left in his own Labor Party for allegedly hyping the issue of weapons of mass destruction to justify war in Iraq. Blair said today that he-ll go along with a full independent investigation, but in Parliament last night he was outraged. Political correspondent Toby Helm is following the story for London-s Daily Telegraph. Reporter-s Notebook: Karl Rove, Texas Politics and George W. Bush A new book details what-s become conventional wisdom in political circles, that President Bush owes a lot to his long-time political advisor, Karl Rove. It also appears that much can be learned about the President-s thinking by looking at Texas, where Rove helped Mr. Bush become Governor. Wayne Slater, who covers the state house in Austin for the Dallas Morning News, is co-author of Bush-s Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential.