This has been a week when US President George Bush seems to be checking boxes on the legacy list. He opened the week at the United Nations in New York, where he tried to rally support for his Middle East peace initiative and insisted his vision of a new Palestinian state is still “achievable” before the end of his presidency. And he pressed for more U.N. action against Iran, acutely aware he has less than 16 months left to stop Tehran’s nuclear program. Bush rounded off the week by calling the biggest nations of the world together to press for a plan on climate change by the end of next year.

Success in any of these areas would amount to a singular achievement and, in the view of advisers, could help rewrite Bush’s place in history. No president wants to be remembered as the author of an ill-fated war and, while Iraq certainly will be at the core of the Bush administration’s record, advisers hope to broaden the picture. Yet analysts said the hour is late to resolve the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict on his watch, critics doubt his sincerity on climate change, and Iran remains as intransigent as ever.

“The clock is ticking, and there are certain things you want to accomplish before you go out of the door,” said Ron Kaufman, who was White House political director for President George H.W. Bush. “While most of these things are not new to his agenda, there may be a bit of a new urgency given the time.”

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