Posted on 11/08/2004 1:30:41 AM PST by kattracks
PARIS - It's a good thing Europeans don't vote in American elections. If they did, chances are President Bush would have been trounced.The 43rd President of the United States may have won a powerful vote of confidence from his countrymen, but an awful lot of sour Europeans - not to mention a significant number of bitter Asians, Africans and Middle Easterners - still consider him an international bad guy.
It's not just the war in Iraq. It is the President's very American sense of decisive, strong leadership; of placing U.S. security (and that of the entire free world) above diplomatic niceties. In Europe's twisted thinking, Bush is nothing more than the epitome of the "Ugly American," the arrogant, gun-toting cowboy many Europeans and other non-Americans love to hate out of their own sense of inferiority, jealousy, bitterness and often downright ignorance of facts and figures.
Whatever the case, no American President in recent history has been so vilified - especially by the Europeans. Even the 60th anniversary of the American-led D-Day invasion was cause for despicable attacks on Bush. One French magazine had the gall to question whether the American President should even come to Normandy for the anniversary celebrations.
Ironically, says pro-American French Parliamentarian Pierre Lellouche, Europeans "convinced themselves that President Bush was some sort of 'temporary disease,' " something that would last one term.
The real irony is that while most Europeans remain convinced that a victory by John Kerry would have rendered major changes in foreign policy and improved relations with America's fair-weather friends overseas, the reality is that little but atmospherics would have changed. Kerry may have cousins in Normandy and even speak French, but does anyone seriously think that Jacques Chirac would have been any more willing to send French troops to help secure Iraqi security with Kerry in the White House than he was during a Bush administration? Or that a President Kerry would have consulted with Germany's Gerhard Schroeder every time he wanted to make a move?
Neither would there have been much difference to the Middle East. Their tactics may strongly differ. But both Bush and Kerry understand that at this moment in history, we can neither walk away from Iraq nor from the war on terror. Moreover, when it comes to the nagging Arab-Israeli conflict, the key problem has been the lack of effective Palestinian leadership.
Ronald Reagan also was globally vilified during his first term, then earned the respect of many nations around the world during his second term. That's what thinking Europeans and others around the world are hoping for now.
The President has already declared his willingness to stretch out his hand to reinvigorate traditional alliances. I applaud that. We cannot simply dismiss the French nor ignore the concerns of people and governments around the world. We must hear what they think and better explain ourselves. But that doesn't mean kowtowing to phony international self-righteousness. Not by any means.
Stanley Crouch has the day off.
Originally published on November 8, 2004
(In John Wayne accent) SUCK IT, Eurotrash!
France is at best a 2nd tier country trying to become a 3rd world nation.
<Yawn The world is Blue? Don't tell me something I already know. Thank God America is a Red Country and proud of it!!!
They'll all be there with us when they need us. Until then, they'll go there own way.
Awesome paragraph.
It's not Bush they hate. It's the USA, plain and simple. They never got over their loss of importance in world affairs.
A paragraph for the ages. Ronald Reagan to this day is villfied across the world.
President Reagan and President Bush, American leaders for America's future.
Im sick and tired of old europe. Dont they have anything else to do beside naggin at us, where are not their parents.1!!!
"We cannot simply dismiss the French nor ignore the concerns of people and governments around the world."
Sure we can!
.
When you're the smartest, biggest and strongest kid on the block, everybody wants you to be involved in their lives, in one way or another. An exception would be when one of the smaller kids wants to fight an even smaller kid.
The bigotry and condescension of the left does not play well with the red states....Get over yourselves is my advice...
My family is educated and faith is important in our lives..The President is educated and faith is important in his life..
Our world views disturb you...Help or get out of the way.
A VERY GOOD THING
The US is becoming the scapegoat to Euroweenies who don't want to look at their own problems (socialism and Islamic immigration) but would rather blame everything on us.
When they are wrong, WHY NOT?
Are we hurting their self-esteem?
Are we bruising their egos?
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