He preceded his European trip, not coincidentally, with a Washington meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The session, with the leader of the nation most afraid of Iran and most hawkish about curtailing its influence, became a platform for tough talk on Iran by Bush.

The president promised that the United States takes seriously the "existential threat to peace" that Iran poses. And his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, spoke cryptically afterward about whether Olmert had asked for the promise of military action. "All I can say, really, is that we've talked a lot about Iran and about the options that are available," Hadley said.

The recent rounds of sanctions out of the UN were all mild. Bush wants to shape the next package to be tougher.     

In addition, the United States and some others have separate sanctions that go further, and Bush also wants more of those. European countries pursue business relationships with Tehran, which is a major energy supplier, and Washington fears that could undermine the anti-nuclear efforts.

As he departed Washington on Monday, Bush spoke about the sagging economy, rising energy costs and the weak dollar, blamed in part for soaring oil prices.

"A lot of Americans are concerned about our economy. I can understand why," he said, urging Congress to lift restrictions on oil drilling in an Arctic wildlife refuge and offshore on the Continental Shelf.

Bush, addressing a subject he usually avoids because of the possibility of roiling financial markets, said that "a strong dollar is in our nation's interests. It is in the interests of the global economy." He said the US economy is "large and it's open and flexible. Our capital markets are some of the deepest and most liquid. And the long-term health and strong foundation of our economy will shine through and be reflected in currency values."

US President George W. Bush talks with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa at his arrival in Ljubljana airport on June 9, 2008. Bush arrived in Slovenia on Monday for his farewell US-European Union summit at the start of a week-long tour of the continent. [Agencies]

(China Daily June 10, 2008)