Washington: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama today accused President George W Bush of an "extraordinary politicisation" of foreign policy, after the US leader implied Democrats want to appease terrorists.

Bush ignited a furious row with the Illinois senator, his most direct clash yet with Democrats vying to succeed him in the White House, in a speech to the Israeli parliament.

"Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said, comparing the supposed strategy to Britain s 1930s appeasement of the Nazis.

"We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

But Obama swiftly hit back in a statement.

"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack," he said.

"It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel.

"Instead of tough talk and no action, we need to do what Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of American power, including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy, to pressure countries like Iran and Syria."

White House press secretary Dana Perino, who was in Israel with Bush, denied the president was intervening in the 2008 election, and said his comments did not directly target Obama.

Source : PTI