Posted on 11/04/2004 8:25:57 PM PST by quidnunc
Paris – With few exceptions, European leaders had ached for a change in the White House after nearly four stormy years of George W. Bush.
So his re-election required many acrobatic displays of diplomacy. The finest wordsmiths were called in to find ways to congratulate Bush while urging him to make multilateralism and fence-mending with Europe the hallmarks of his second term.
"The [transatlantic] bonds of friendship and co-operation are vital to maintaining peace in the world on the basis of multilaterally shared principles and values," declared the president of the European Union executive commission, Romano Prodi.
Said EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana: "Together, Europe and the United States face many critical challenges … As in the past, our best hope for success lies in common action."
In his first term, Bush pushed through America-first policies that outraged many Europeans, ranging from abandoning the United Nations' Kyoto Protocol on global warming to new US subsidies for farmers and steelmakers, the Iraq war and his one-sided support for Israel.
Even his closest ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was unable to rustle up much warmth on Bush's victory. He described it neutrally as "an event of genuine significance right around the world", particularly for Britain and America, which had "a unique bond through our shared history and tradition".
He called on Bush, although without naming him, to heal wounds.
"A world that is fractured and uncertain must be brought together," Blair said. "The need to revitalise the Middle East peace process is the single most pressing political challenge in our world today."
The leaders of Italy and Poland, which joined Britain in supporting the US attack on Iraq, believed that Bush's re-election held advantages for them.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at nzherald.co.nz ...
I hope that we are not sending foreign aid to any of those jerks.
"A world that is fractured and uncertain must be brought together"
Okay. Item 1: Islam is once again marching aganst us, so stop consorting with the enemy. Be on our side, or be on their side, but don't whine about cooperation while you're supporting their war on us.
I saw a clip of Tony Blair's remarks on Fox. I didn't get the same impression as stated in this.
You are right, they have misrepresented what Tony Blair said. He was delighted which is what showed when you watched him. He made 'concessions' to the voters in G.B. by bringing up the Palestinian issue which is so dear to their heart, but he was no way 'lukewarm'
In his first term, Bush pushed through America-first policies that outraged many Europeans...
D'UH!!
Bush shuld offer the world a choice.
We can mend fences and become friends again
BUT
first you stop dicking around and making excuses for eradicating the world of this Islamist scum.
then we can be nice nice
Four stormy years? Bush has been unfailingly gracious and polite for the past four years, while the Euroswine have looked down their pudgy noses at him and whined, bitched, and complained about American cowboys.
Shortly after being elected in 2000 Bush visited Europe, where he was widely insulted by socialist political leaders and the European press. The only friendly face in sight was Putin's.
And it was downhill after that. The Euros really have to look in the mirror and examine their own behavior. I'm not talking about decent Europeans, who are probably numerous, but the intellectual and political classes and most of the media, who are worse than anything you could find in Berkeley or Ithaca.
Choke on it, Old Europe. We don't need you.
Old Europe:
We'll give you a ring if we can think of anything you can do. Don't wait up!
Why does Europe's request that we mend fences with them sound just like the old DemonRat talk of "bipartisanship" after the 2000 election?
It's always the US in general or us as in conservatives that are supposed to give in to the opposition in order to gain their tacit support. Tacit support translates to "we won't stab you in the back so overtly anymore". F_ck them all.
Europe will keep its direction and America will keep its direction.
There is no hope of a new beginning between my country - Germany and the US as long not one of the contemporary administrations is exchanged. That means that the next chance of change is in 2006, when Schroeder has to face a new election. Both sides have such a big dislike that all handshakes are just a bad make-up that doesn't solve the Problem itselves. Schilly and Schroeder send their "best wishes", but the truth is, that they would be happy if all republicans would die of diarrhoea. Conservative Germans like me, who try to keep the atlantic bridge, have a difficult standing in SPD-Germany these days. France is even worse, because there are no political powers who tend to change foreign policy. Many Americans forget that Chirac represents the right wing of french politics.
Nevertheless there are some global misunderstandings among conservative Americans and Europeans that have been suppressed for a long time. This has nothing to do with Schroeder or Chirac. It is like a cancer that grew silently for the last 15 years.
- Unlike Americans, especially Germans have absolutely no national pride. These days we get rid of our national holiday, the 3rd October (day of German unity) because of economical reasons. Could you imagine that the US abolish the 4th of July??! This is why the contemporary German society is seeing the solutions of our time only in internationalisation. There are many Germans who believe in a "small" union together with France and the Benelux-countries. This scenario is called the EU of different velocitys and is quite likely to happen in the near future, because the larger EU will not work properly for sure.
- Unlike Americans Europeans do not feel the threat of islamic terrorism. You never hear anything about the "war against terrorism" in Europe. This is a pure American party. Europeans have no war, they deal with a nuisance. The majority of Europe is convinced that millitary action is not the solution to the problem. Europeans learned to live with islam since a long time. We host "Guest-workers" and expelled persons from old colonies since the sixties. There are some problems with people from islamic countries, but usually they are working, they pay their taxes and they behave. France and the UK have the biggest problems with some scum from their former colonies. But those problems are not big enough that there would be a broad anger. This is the reason that there is no awareness of the problem.
- Unlike Americans Europeans are usually no religious people. To mix religion with politics is political suicide in "old" Europe. Religion is something private that is not shown in the public. To have a Bundeskanzler, a prime Minister or a President who begins his day with an open prayer is totally unthinkable.
- Americans and Europeans have completely different moral values. For instance to have no sex before the marriage is completely ridiculus to most people in western Europe. You must come from Mars or another very strange place to do so. Abstinence is no moral value anymore. It is the same thing with many other items like faggots, prostitutes or sexual behavior in common.
Many Americans think that they or their administration could press Europe into a certain direction. This is quite unlikely, because much of continetal western Europe went into a complete different direction since a long time. For the political class Russia is as important as the US. France is to Germany and Germany is to France even more important. The sad conclusion: Continetal westerm Europe is no enemy to the US, but it is for sure also no ally. The bad news are that the gap between us is much deeper than only the differences between our administrations.
I hope that there will be a day, when we can rebuildt the bridge between the US and old Europe to a new stable building. I hate politicians like Schroeder or Chirac and the transformation of our society.
Dude, I feel for you, really, but you are right - There is no hope for a new beginning between our countries. Millions upon millions of Americans have come to realize this - that leftist Germany and leftist France are no allies of ours, we are no friends of your government, and are not interested in your government's call for president Bush alone to heal the rifts between our nations.
Understand this one thing about America if you don't understand anything else about her people - The whole of our nation was founded on the rejection of corrupt Europe and it took a betrayal by Schroeder and Chirac to remind many of us why our ancestors fled your continent.
The real problem is that the Left in any country hates the enemies of the Left more than they love their own country or love freedom.
Difference on religious beliefs, style, etc. do no matter to Americans, (eg we can be friendly with India and Japan, with different religion and culture from U.S., so why not germany, with whom we share much more culture and heritage - eg I am part german) and shouldn't matter to Europeans unless they are hypocrites... if you can stand Muslims in your midst (who believe in killing 'infidels' who dont bow to Muslims and pay the honorary tax) why not stand *Christians* in America. After all this was the religion of Europe. Has Europe just forgotten its heritage of 2000 years and abandoned it like a runaway teenager???
the Left hates Christians. Christianity was the biggest obstacle in Poland to the Communists, and it is the biggest enemy of the Left today. Christianity and Freedom are the two things America represents to the world, and both are offensive to the left, but neednt be offensive to normal Europeans.
If and when Europeans see through the errors of leftism, they would be ready to embrace warmer relations with US.
A great deal of hasty climbing down and whitewashing going on in Europe. It's one thing to bash GW the day before the election, when you're certain he's histoire, but now! Main Non!
Blair looked harried, probably couldn't tell which way the vote would go for hours...also worried about his own skin. It would be nice if Brits could take off their blinders and spend a few hours with Bush, long enough to disregard his accent and really listen to what he says. He is the real deal, an honest man who means what he says and carries through. The sort of man you'd want with you in that foxhole. And we are in that foxhole.
Sorry, that's 'Mais non!'
Saw a German on CNBC over an hour ago, and there seems to be no backing down on his part as to what will be required of President Bush.
These EUROS do not seem to be backing down one little bit, and think that President Bush will be required to come to them on bended knee, after all his "mistakes" (his word) during the past four years.
We will see how the EUROS fare in the upcoming four years.
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