WASHINGTON, May 3: Veteran White House watchers know that President George W. Bush can deliver nuanced, balanced statements when he sticks to a prepared script, but can fumble hilariously when he ad-libs.

Case in point: On Thursday, Bush proclaimed that Yasser Arafat was poised to “lead the world”.

Say again? At the very least, the idea of Arafat leading the world would be a sea change in US foreign policy.

The scene was a White House press conference with Bush and European leaders after an annual US-E.U. summit.

It started with a scripted statement about a “common vision” for peace in the Middle East. But it devolved quickly with Bush’s rambling remarks that at one point even appeared headed for a diplomatic incident. Not only did he say Arafat was free to “lead the world”, but he also implied that what had kept him from the leadership was being holed up in fetid conditions with “German peace protesters”!

The Israeli military kept Arafat under siege for a month at his Ramallah headquarters, and peace activists from around the world - not just Germany - joined him during the siege. There was little water, and bathing was a luxury.

In his prepared statement, Bush read a tough paragraph that concisely and elegantly called for Israel to negotiate an end to its “occupation” of Palestinian territory and demanded that Arafat clean up his act and lead his people toward peace and democracy.

“A Palestinian state must be achieved by negotiating an end to occupation,” Bush said, according to an official White House transcript.

“A Palestinian state must be based on the principles that are critical to freedom and prosperity: democracy and open markets, the rule of law, transparent and accountable administration and respect for individual liberties and civil society.”

In that masterfully short but complex passage, Bush said it all.

But just minutes later, he took a question from a reporter about how both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Arafat had defied Bush. The most recent instance was Arafat’s remarks after being freed through a US-brokered deal, when he called the Israelis “terrorists,” “Nazis” and “racists”.

“Are there any consequences for those who thumb their nose at the president of the United States?” the reporter bluntly asked.

One might have expected an imperious, wrath-of-Washington response. Instead, in his off-the-cuff remarks, Bush not only waxed philosophical but also put Arafat into the global power role — but only after he had escaped the German peace protesters.

“In this world, there are people who think the glass is half empty or half full. I tend to look at it as half full. I’m optimistic we’re making good progress. After all, a week ago, there were - Yasser Arafat was boarded up in his building in Ramallah, a building full of, evidently, German peace protesters and all kinds of people. They’re now out. He’s now free to show leadership, to lead the world. We’re making good progress,” Bush said.—dpa