http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148151,00.html
The major news outlets have been atwitter over the past several days as President Bush prepared for his first visit to Europe since being reelected. Much of the focus has been on the supposed “fence-mending” aspects of the tour, somehow suggesting that the president and the United States have something to apologize for.
My question is: “What’s the big deal?”. While the European Union has the potential to be a major world power someday, its own fractiousness and convoluted processes keep it from being much more than a glorified free trade agreement. Further, any of the several so-called powerful nations within the EU have nothing to offer the US other than more of the same fractiousness that divides their own union.
There is no doubt that France, Germany, Russia, and some of their European flunkies were selling weapons and technology- including chemical, biological, and nuclear- to Saddam Hussein possibly until the very day coalition forces rolled into the country. There is no doubt that they are doing the same with Iran, Syria, and North Korea. On top of that, they continue to have far to open immigration policies and far too little law enforcement, allowing safe harbor to thousands of terrorists who have never set foot in places like Afghanistan or Iraq.
Even worse, these same nations accuse the United States of being selfish and boorish around the world, then complain when we do help, as with the Asian Tsunami disaster. They promise aid to nations conflicted by poverty and war and then stand aside while people slaughter each other as in Sudan.
So again, my question is: “What’s the big deal”. So the President went to Europe. So he is visiting some of our so-called allies. Why do we care? While this will never happen, he should be going there to deliver an ultimatum: fulfill your international obligations, or consider yourself among America’s enemies.
Now that would be something to talk about.
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