[nathanbedford]

Trumps demands on Europe were long overdue. I suppose there is a difference, and perhaps a critical difference, in that we are asking the Europeans to spend their own money to themselves whereas we are asking the Saudis to pay us.

A difference might also be that in Europe we are defending allies with democratic values as opposed to the Saudis with medieval values. Will we overlook those values because the Saudis pay us or because of geographical, petroleum and geopolitical realities?

[HighSierra5]

Unfortunately yes we have to overlook some moral values. The world is like a big Risk game and it’s better if we win.

[9YearLurker]

But it is the American lives that the Europeans elite take for granted. Euros themselves don’t want to serve in the military and they get nervous whenever they sense our supply of warfighters who will die in their defense might be running short.

I’m not talking money here, I am talking American lives sacrificed in their stead.