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Good stuff from Steyn. The membership of the Belgium/France/Germany clique alone should give everyone a clue that there's a push going on here for the EU to attempt to flex its political muscle in the absence of any cogent military musculature. This, in the face of a number of new EU members who may or may not go along with the current total domination of EU policy-making by those countries. The latter are, in addition, closer geographically to Saddam and hence to any weapons he may cook up.

From the Axis of Weasels perspective (hereinafter "AOW") it's a win-win situation - they divorce Britain from influence in the EU, they buffalo the new EU members, they neutralize NATO as an active player, and they give everyone on the continent the idea that the only alternative to U.S. hegemony is that of the AOW. Understand that the U.S. and Britain don't have to lose in Iraq for all this to take place - even a swift, relatively bloodless victory there will not affect this ploy.

There is a risk, and appearances are that it's a big one - the other members of the EU have to play along. If they don't, then it becomes painfully obvious that membership in that supposed federation of equals is, in fact, merely a more or less complete surrender of sovereignty in those areas that the bureaucrats in Brussels decide are their rightful demesne. This manifested itself in the form of common economic policy last year, whose lack of success is certain to make people in Madrid and Milan wonder if perhaps adding military and political subordination on top of that is an altogether good idea.

This is a calculated risk. It would be arrogant for Washingon DC to claim that it speaks for all of Europe and despite the noise to that effect I cannot really remember an occasion when it has done so. It is not, evidently, to be considered arrogant for that claim to be made in Paris, Brussels, and Berlin. Not by those in charge of the AOW, at least. By those in Madrid and Milan it's rather another matter.

But one can understand the motivation of the AOW to move the resolution of this situation back into the UN or the like. There, they possess a parity of power with the United States - one does not have to pay for a vote in blood. The AOW possesses three such votes in that venue, and the United States but one, two if Great Britain, God bless 'em, have signed on. That that three-to-two ratio does not represent the respective military and economic power hardly needs pointing out. And that explains a good deal about why the AOW wants it in that court.

there's a push going on here for the EU to attempt to flex its political muscle in the absence of any cogent military musculature.

Excellent analysis, BTD. Kissinger, interviewed on Charlie Rose last night, also said that Franco-German dominance of EU is the AOW's real game. Ol' Henry stated unequivically that the time for war is NOW.

I think there might be another sub-plot going on here that might ultimately come as quite a surprise to the French. The Germans look to be a bit out of phase on this, with rumors running hot and cold of a split between Schröder and Fischer. In the background of all this, peeking out behind this tree and then that one, is Vladimir Putin. Here's Putin on stage with Schröder. Here he is with Chirac. Now we find out that Germany's Fischer is a serious "red," with a long history of Interesting Acquaintances among left-wing terrorist groups, including the Baader-Meinhof gang. The one-time head of Romania's intelligence service thinks Fischer may have been involved with the KGB. Hmmmm.

Chirac may have one plan for the EU, with one fan in Schröder. Putin may have a different plan, and Fischer may be part of it.