Bush and Obama Consulted on Gaza

John D. McKinnon reports on the White House. President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama discussed the situation in Gaza briefly during a telephone call on New Year’s Day, the White House confirmed. That appeared to suggest that U.S. policy on the Gaza conflict might not be as confused as some analysts fear. So far, Obama and his advisers have avoided extensive comments on the Israeli military operations in Gaza, or the Bush administration’s restrained response. Instead, the Obama camp has stuck to its transition message that there’s only “one U.S. president at a time.” The Bush administration has put the onus for the violence squarely on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, for allowing rocket attacks from Gaza on southern Israeli towns. As a result, the White House has refused to make a big diplomatic push for a short-term ceasefire, saying it’s pointless if Hamas won’t guarantee an end to the rocket fire. The situation has led some analysts to worry that a lack of ... (link)