SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - President Bush's fast-track plan for a Mideast peace agreement got a welcome endorsement Wednesday from a nation long seen as a key Arab mediator. Bush responded by pulling his punches on the human rights backpedaling in Egypt that has cooled relations with this longtime ally.
The president closed an eight-day Mideast trip well-fed from several lingering meals with his Arab hosts and upbeat about what even some of America's closest allies say is an unexpected and ambitious drive. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement has eluded U.S. presidents for decades, and Bush didn't put much effort into trying for the first seven years of his presidency.
Bush had a message for skeptical Arab states whose help he needs to make any accord stick and who doubt the president's intention to personally shepherd a deal. "I mean what I'm saying," Bush said.
