Good shepherd, bad shepherd

If it weren't for the image problem in the Muslim world, the visit actually has some historic features. A US president has officially visited Palestinian-governed lands for the first time. Plus, Bush used the "O-word" (occupation) for Israel's military presence in Palestinian territories. But he was not taken too seriously, due to his poor credibility.

''I mean, my image [is]: Bush wants to fight Muslims. ... They view me as so pro-Israeli I can't be open-minded about Palestinian peace. ... I'm sure people view me as a warmonger and I view myself as a peacemaker,'' Bush told ABC television last Tuesday. "You just have to fight through the stereotypes by actions.''

You are right, Mr. President, but wasn't it primarily your actions that led to those stereotypes? Hence, whatever actions you take now will be overshadowed by your earlier actions and statements. Haven't you decided to attack and invade two Islamic nations, namely Afghanistan and Iraq, with no invitation at all? Last time I checked, you hadn't ruled out a war against a third one, Iran. Weren't you, after, all re-elected on a pro-war platform in 2004? So shouldn't it be you, more than anyone else, who is responsible for those stereotypes?

Bush's quest for building a strong international coalition against Iran, one of the main motives of his latest diplomatic "crusade," reminds me of a famous Turkish tale. An arrogant shepherd deceives villagers many times with false alarms that the herd is under wolf attack. And one day, when the threat is real, the villagers don't believe him and leave him alone.

The nuclear threat from Iran may very well be real. But since allegations of weapons of mass destruction against the Saddam Hussein regime have proven untrue, people no longer trust Mr. Bush. It looks like even his intelligence community, formerly pressured to provide flawed information to lay the groundwork for the Iraq war, no longer trusts him, either. The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report, which concludes there is no smoking gun situation with regard to Iranian nuclear weapon ambitions, was made public so that it could not be covered up by White House. That's the kind of image Mr. Bush has among people within his own government. Don't even ask about his image in the eyes of his people. His approval rating is around 5 percent, a historic low.

Mr. Bush went on talking about his "freedom agenda" in the Muslim world. That is also far from being credible, because except for showcase situations like Iraq, he abandoned democracy and freedom in many other instances. The freedom agenda was shelved where movements like Hamas, Hizbullah and Ikhwan al-Muslimeen, which are not necessarily in tune with US nation-building efforts, prevailed. Furthermore, many activists complain Bush largely ignored raising major human rights issues during his meetings with Arab leaders such as Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. He needs Arab leaders to contain Iran, ease the oil market and facilitate talks with Israel, so why intimidate them so much?

Did he get what he wanted? I don't think so. Nice words, a few polite promises, but no breakthrough. The same is true when it comes to the Israelis. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas may speak favorably in Bush's presence. But as soon as he goes away, they are faced with their domestic realties, which are politically favorable neither for them nor for resolution of the decades-long (if not centuries-long) conflict with deep historical and religious roots. The president promised to return to the Promised Land in May, but few are optimistic over his prospects for success.