Earlier this month I reported that the EU's High Representative Javier Solana said he was pessimistic about the Middle East road map peace plan. And if you recall, I said I thought it was Solana's way of saying he didn't think President George Bush wasn't doing a good job.

Well, Solana did it again. But this time he said at a meeting of important leaders from around the world -- at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

But the way Solana said it this time was much more insulting to President Bush. When Solana was asked his opinion about Bush's Greater Middle East proposal, Solana said:

To think that from Morocco to Afghanistan we're going to have something structured is a bit of a chimera Read about it here  I  And here.

After reading that, I had the most profound thought. I thought, "I have to look that word up." 

"Chimera," according to my dictionary, is a word that comes from a Greek legend. It was the name of a strange, fire breathing creature that has the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a serpent for a tail. And said figuratively, it means Solana's thinks Bush's Greater Middle East plan is completely nuts.

Evidently, at Switzerland Vice President Dick Cheney asked the Europeans to help the US bring peace and stability to the Middle East region. Although Solana had been seeking this joint effort, Solana doesn't believe the way to do it is by bringing democracy.

But wait a minute. Isn't Bush's Greater Middle East plan really Solana's plan with an America label? And didn't Reuters recently report an American official in Brussels said Washington wanted to build on the EU's Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Barcelona Process -- agreements that Solana negotiated -- agreements with much the same goal? 

Yes to these questions. But Solana's plan didn't call for transforming the Arab world into democracies. Instead, it only called for economic and security co-operation.

But isn't it a good idea to bring democracy and freedom to the region? Sure it is. Then why is Solana calling Bush's Greater Middle East plan crazy? Here's what I suspect:

For one thing, bringing democracy isn't a part of Solana's plan. For another, Solana has expended a lot of diplomatic effort accumulating brownie points with Arab leaders. This is a good opportunity to win a few more. And lastly, the Middle East plan that is his -- the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership -- he doesn't want somebody else putting their name on it.

Especially a religious conservative like George W. Bush.