Why the leaders of France and Germany are making nice with Bush is beyond me. I thought they had more pride than that.

Bush, after all, had rubbed their faces in it before the Iraq War. And now he comes calling for their endorsement of the war, seizing on the elections as some sort of post-facto vindication, never mind the vanishing WMDs.

Bush has persuaded NATO to send some trainers—mostly American—to Iraq. So maybe the European powers are just putting up a front of pleasantry while leaving the fighting to Americans.

But if the insurgency surges, Bush may come to NATO for more than that, and the rationale for resisting such an appeal has now been undercut.

On the subject of Iran, European leaders seem to be deluding themselves that Bush somehow wants to resolve the nuclear crisis there peacefully.

They should stop kidding themselves.

Seymour Hersh has already noted that a U.S. military strike may be in the offing. And Scott Ritter puts the date somewhere in June. Don’t discount Ritter. He was absolutely right on Iraq and its nonexistent stash of WMDs.

European leaders need to put their smiles away and unbow themselves.

They shouldn’t placate Bush. He only wants to push them around, this time with charm (such as it is), next time, like last time, with disdain.

© 2005 The Progressive

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