EuroTrip 2: Bush’s Brouhaha in Bratislava

David Ehrlich ^ | 2/25/05 | David Ehrlich

[zetapsi]

Equipped with idealistic rhetoric and armed with a mandated reelection, President Bush trekked his way through Europe this week with a pocket full of political bargaining chips. This is a multi-tiered trip with layered intentions. At face value, it is an effort to strengthen the diplomatic and political ties that have been weakened in the last four years. However there are deeper motivations in play. There are very particular issues that need a political coalition to confront, namely the Iran/Syria axis, and the hazy role that Russia is playing in the matter. However, deep in some of our hearts, we hope this is also a “Reelection European Tour” for President Bush. We’d like to think that somewhere, he is muttering under his breath, “I know you sons of bitches wanted me to lose, and I’m here to remind you that I didn’t!”.......

[zetapsi]

Let me know what you guys think. Check out my archives page too, http://www.DavidEhrlich.com/archives.html

[franksolich]

Now wait, now wait, now wait a second here.

I was not aware that relations with Bratislava were "close" before George Bush; I was not aware that William Clinton ever made a big deal about being buddy-buddy with Bratislava--and so where does this idea come from, that Bush is mending, or trying to mend, broken ties?

[zetapsi]

where do I say this?!?! The ties I'm speaking of are for Western Europe, which is what the bulk of the trip is aimed at... the Bratislava summit is aimed to tell Russia we have our eye on them... read the rest of the article.

[franksolich]

".....strengthen the diplomatic and political ties that have been WEAKENED THE PAST FOUR YEARS....." is what I got out of it, correctly or incorrectly.

Because Americans are sensitive about this idea that Europeans love Bill Clinton and hate George Bush, this gave the impression--again, correctly or incorrectly--that relations between Washington and Bratislava deteriorated under Bush.....while I wonder if there were ever "close" ties at all.

An excellent article; but because this comment about relations having been weakened the past four years (when there is doubt they ever existed at all), appears in the opening paragraph, it threw me off--and so I shot off my mouth before finishing.

[zetapsi]

oh its fine, I understand where you were coming from... but I was really referring to France, Germany, and the citizens of the rest of Western Europe. Relations with Western Europe have definetely gotten weaker, but I would contend that its their own liberalism and unwillingness to confront Muslim Terrorism that has created that.

As far as Slovakia, I don't know if there has been a long enough time to establish a relationship yet. Obviously, there are relationships with the region, but not necessarily in the diplomatic and governmental sense.