politics

President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to denounce those who would negotiate with "terrorists and radicals" -- a remark that was widely interpreted as a rebuke to Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential contender, who has argued that the United States should talk directly with such countries as Iran and Syria. The White House said his remarks were not aimed at the senator, though they created a political firestorm in Washington nonetheless.

The reaction

Other Democrats leapt to Obama's defense, among them Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois. "The tradition has always been that when a U.S. president is overseas, partisan politics stops at the water's edge," Emanuel said in a statement. "President Bush has now taken that principle and turned it on its head."

White House press secretary Dana Perino said the comment was not a reference to Obama. "I understand when you're running for office you sometimes think the world revolves around you -- that is not always true and it is not true in this case," she said.

What it means

The transcontinental tiff signaled the early direction of the general election.

Bush, who largely has remained silent during the primaries, seemed to assume the traditional lame-duck role in trying to help the Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain.

Obama, close to clinching the nomination, sent the signal that he's ready to take on the sitting president and the incumbent party.

For Obama, the stakes in the clash are high. American Jews and Israelis view him with some suspicion, for several reasons. First, Obama has said he would meet with Iran's president, who denies Israel's right to exist. Second, an official of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, has expressed hope for the Obama candidacy. (Obama says Hamas is a terrorist group.) And finally, Obama's advisers include Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former White House adviser who some Jews believe has an anti-Israel tilt.

Republicans have been taking every opportunity to raise questions about Obama's readiness to be a wartime commander in chief. Indicating what's to come, McCain said: "Peace through strength is the way we achieve peace in the world. ... I will debate this issue with Senator Obama throughout this campaign."

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