I have less and less respect for politicians as I watch them smile and shake hands when what I suspect is truly in their hearts is murder. Are the European leaders going to pretend to be the good little wives that Bush would like them to be in public, even as he had humiliated them, lied to them, and slapped them around? Or will they have at last found their support group in the European Union and decided to tell Bush that his fantasies are no longer going to be tolerated, that he is no longer the bully boy he hopes to be, and that Europe is going to be respected as the power that it is. If, on the other hand, the Europeans play nicey-nice and kissyface with Bush on this trip as they did with Condi Rice, then my question is, how far must they be pushed until, instead of quiet assertion, they ultimately resort to their heart's desire, and drive a dagger into the U.S. through economic policy that will suddenly and radically polarize us against them.
Don't think it's possible? Start comparing the relative power between the U.S. and Europe in any terms but military and we come up short. And having the military we do sure isn't the advantage we need if we get toe-to-toe with Europe in economic battles, like some sort of new colonialism for the Middle East. Hell, it isn't even proving to be the power Bush thought it would be in Iraq. Having evaded any serious service during the Vietnam era and proving that he is only capable of learning those things that come from prophesy or edict rather than research and reason, Bush is enjoying his own private 'Nam, which seems to be about at the point where the equivalent of an Iraqi Diem comes in. And we know how that chapter ended.
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