Could this video clip be genuine?

Is that really President Bush on the so-called "President Bush apology video"? Or is it a fake?

Experts who have been studying the TV interview, on which "Bush" is seen almost apologising for something, are now more or less convinced that it really is him speaking, or, if it is not him, it is someone so like him as to be the real thing, more or less.

Experts who have been studying the TV interview, on which "Bush" is seen almost apologising for something, are now more or less convinced that it really is him speaking, or, if it is not him, it is someone so like him as to be the real thing, more or less.

The brief video, taken from Arab TV, shows the man supposed to be Bush talking about the harsh treatment of prisoners in Iraq by so-called "coalition" forces. On the tape "Bush" says it is a bad day for America when this sort of thing happens, and that he will do everything possible to find out who did it, and put the appropriate measures in hand.

Those experts who have studied "Bush" over the years say that the vagueness of the language is typical of the man. They think that his ruefulness, combined with an apparent inability to say sorry, and his tone of regret, combined with a permanent smile, is totally consonant with Bush's ability to say one thing and do another, and not notice the inconsistency.

On the other hand, they are puzzled by certain aspects of the "interview". For a start, there is no talk of "kicking ass". Nor is there is a small boy yawning in the background, sometimes a feature of appearances by "Bush". Nor is there any exterior shot of the White House (the lair in which "Bush" is believed to be holed up) or any sign of the "Stars and Stripes" flag which normally accompanies defiant pronouncements by "Bush".

"Perhaps the strain is beginning to tell," says one expert, who does not wish to be named and can be described only as a "former aide to Clinton who never liked Bush that much nor Clinton either if the truth be known".

"The man they call Bush," he says," knows that his enemies are closing in and that he cannot last for ever. People think that he may well be flushed out of the White House before the year is out, and then he would have nowhere to hide. He looks confident, yes, but that smile is beginning to wear thin, and once the Bush smile goes, there won't be much left."

"Bush" is still confidently referring to his side as the "coalition forces", which has always puzzled observers as there isn't much of a coalition, only the US-based forces at the command of "Bush".

A reader writes: Dear Mr Kington, Yes, very funny, we get the idea. You are writing about George W Bush as if he were Osama bin Laden, based on the fact that both of them occasionally issue video clips for propaganda purposes. But do you really think there is enough juice there to stretch it out to the end of the column?

Miles Kington writes: Who knows? We'll just have to see, won't we?

A reader writes: Well, good luck, mate. I wouldn't bet on it.

One notable omission from the video is any reference to the retired diplomats who recently wrote a letter to him, telling him that he was getting it all wrong. Very often "Bush" turns on critics and excoriates them, but not this time. This indicates, suggests one expert, that he is losing heart.

In Britain, retired diplomats have written a similar letter to the rebel leader known as "Blair", but the surprise here is that the letter got through at all. Postal services have become so erratic and so vulnerable to theft that it makes more sense for them to have it sent round by motorbike or courier than popped in the post...

A reader writes: Hold on! You're changing the subject, aren't you? You couldn't make it last, could you? You couldn't think of any more parallels between Bush and bin Laden, could you?

Miles Kington writes: Do not attempt to oppose me. If you are not for me, you are against me. My cause is righteous. You are doomed. Prepare to be obliterated...

A reader writes: Right - that's enough for me ! I'm getting out of here. I'm off to the letters page.

Miles Kington writes: Wait for me. I'll come with you.