Bush to Arabs: Ramadan Mubarak!

President Bush in a major reach-out to the Arab world:

On Thursday he accorded a long Oval Office interview to Al-Arabiyah, one of the leading Arabic satellite channels, whose reporter told him that people in the Islamic world "think that President Bush is an enemy of Islam." Bush responded by professing his respect for Islam as "a great religion that preaches peace" and lamenting that radicals "have done a good job of propagandizing." Bush pointed out that on this very night he and his wife were hosting their seventh annual White House iftar, the meal that breaks the fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was one of Bush's finer moments during his years as America's embattled Middle East president.

He also sounded a peaceful note about Iran: stressing more sanctions, not bombing. When he said that the "people that follow me in office" will be committed to stopping Iran's uranium enrichment program, was Bush signaling that he has ruled out an attack on Iran during his remaining 15 months in office? Maybe so.

Here's the Iran bit:

I have made the commitment that I would continue to work with the world to speak with one voice to the Iranians, to the Iranian government, that we will work in ways that we can to make it clear to you that you should not have the know-how on how to make a weapon, because one of the great threats to peace and the world would be if Iranians showed up with a nuclear weapon. It would give them an opportunity to blackmail or threaten or possibly follow through with their stated objective, which is the destruction of Israel.

I, of course, said all options are on the table, but I made a pledge to the American people we will work diplomatically to solve the problem. And that's why you see us at the United Nations working with the EU countries, and China and Russia, to send that clear message; and that we're going to continue to impose sanctions and make it harder for the Iranian government to operate in the world until they change their mind, until they come to a new way forward. I have said that if they suspend their nuclear program we will be at the table. But they have so far refused to do that.

I've also spoken to the Iranian people. And I want to make it clear to the people of Iran that the United States respects Iran, respects the people, respects the proud tradition, and that the government of Iran has taken decisions that make it harder for them to live their lives. It's the decisions of the government of Iran that have led to the isolation of the country. And that if this government would only be responsible, would listen to the world, would not continue its weapons program -- the idea of being able to have the capacity to make a weapon -- then there's a better way forward for the Iranian people.

The Iranian regime must understand that I'm dedicated to the proposition that they should not continue their desire to enrich, as will be people that follow me in office. There is universal concern about Iranian ambition here in America. This is not a party issue, an issue between one party or the other. When the Iranian President announces to the world that he's going to destroy an ally, or announces to the world that he will end up defying the world -- that no matter who the President is, there is going to be a continued focus and effort to achieve this issue, to resolve this issue.

--By Scott MacLeod/Cairo