Bush rooting for Sharon

Lauds PM in shameless effort to influence Israel's March elections

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By Stan Goodenough
December 21, 2005

The Bush administration hopes to see Prime Minister Ariel Sharon win the general election next March and help bring about the realization of President George W. Bush?s envisaged ?two-state solution.?

 ?Personal courage matters and this man matters,? Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, speaking in glowing terms about the prime minister during a CNN interview Tuesday.

?The president said some time ago, we believe that Prime Minister Sharon is somebody with a vision for a better life for Israelis based on a two-state solution,? she emphasized.

Sharon and Bush are scheduled to meet in a couple of months ? just four weeks before the Israeli elections ? in a summit that will send a clear message to the Israeli electorate that the US looks forward to working with Sharon for another four years.

The two men reportedly had a ?long? telephone conversation Tuesday, during which Bush encouraged Sharon to change his diet following the stroke he suffered earlier this week.

Sharon has come out of hospital fighting, determined to run for the premiership on the strength of his physicians? assessment that the stroke did him no harm.

For their part, Israel?s people place a great deal of significance in how America feels about their leadership.

Most Israelis view a strong Israel-US relationship as essential to Israel?s security; most believe that Bush is a good friend of Israel?s and deeply appreciate his leading the war on terror and against Saddam Hussein.

Bush is not the first president to try and effect an Israeli election to fall in line with his policies. In 1999 his predecessor, Bill Clinton, came out openly in support of Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, and against Binyamin Netanyahu.

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