Also, Bush said Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calling the Israeli-Palestinian meeting in Annapolis, Md., a failure shows the leader's true colors.

"This is a man who doesn't believe in democracy, freedom and peace," Bush said.3

Ahmadinejad reportedly called the meeting Tuesday a failure and said Israel was doomed to collapse. Ahmadinejad has made provocative, anti-Israeli remarks, including calling for the destruction of Israel. Bush said if he were an Israeli, "I'd take his words seriously."

The goal of the Annapolis meeting, attended by many Middle Eastern leaders, was to establish a framework for discussing the creation of a Palestinian state, Bush said, adding, "It's a vision that's taken a while for people to accept."

A democratically established state is important for both the Palestinians and Israel in particular and the Middle East more broadly, he said, because, "There's a struggle between (supporters of) a free society and radical extremists."

Bush said the presence of Syria, which is on a terrorist watch list, sent an "important signal" because it was among the "Arab nations in the room supporting democracy."