February 27, 2005

Texas 'Cowboy' Discombobulates Europeans

President Bush and First Lady Laura are back home safe and sound after a whirlwind fence mending trip to “old Europe” that critics are calling “the last party on the Titanic.”

The President didn’t wow street people, but they acknowledged he could chew gum and climb stairs at the same time. It’s a start.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accompanied the president but kept a low profile. One is reminded of her advice three years ago when she had a freer opportunity to be candid as a national security adviser to the president.

She said our objective should be “to forgive the Russians, ignore the Germans and punish the French.”

The French newspaper Liberation said this pungent observation was revised for four days to “coddle the French, embrace the Germans and gently remind the Russians about their small digressions in terms of democracy and their friendship with Syria.”

This is finely chewed cabbage – but it is a fair summation. The saucy paper concluded: “The list of potential disputes remain long.”

Just so.

Bush wants Iran to forego building a brace of nuclear bombs. But Russia furnishes technology and know- how while Europeans indulge in monkey business -- see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Our peripatetic president pressed European heads of state to give up plans to lift the embargo of arms sales to China. It was imposed in 1989 after the brutal repression of pro-democracy demonstrations there. China is building an army and navy second to none. Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Indochina and Australia worry.

Bush asked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -- which the U.S. props up with the most money and military personnel – to help out in Iraq.

After face time with Bush, French President Chirac promised $660,000 to an “alliance fund” for training Iraqi police recruits.

The training would be in Europe so Chirac dispatched an officer to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to administer the fund. Whoopdeedoo!

Climax of the tour de force was a two-hour face-to- face with Russian president Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia. While Bush’s visits earlier were simply to make nice, the confab with Putin was serious.

As the world has learned, Bush is gung ho about democracy as a realistic defense against worldwide, terrorism.

France, Germany, Britain, Spain and Russia have suffered horrendous terrorist attacks but reacted with resignation. And -- in some cases -- with appeasement. How quickly new generations dis-remember Nazism and communism.

Even Americans, for a while, treated single acts of terrorism killing a few score innocent people as a police matter. It took a coordinated attack of four- hijacked passenger planes, 3,000 deaths and massive damage to show that terrorism was a war against democracy.

President Bush realized the true aim of terrorism -- that the leading democracy was the primary target, that it was a fight to the finish, that America had to defend itself, and that the only super power had to carry the fight to the enemy.

Thus, the concluding meeting with Putin dwelled noticeably on democracy.

Despotism is a political cancer that is difficult to cure. Russia suffered under Stalin communism, and Putin was an integral part of it.

We can accept his claim of conversion, but his appropriation of the giant oil company Lukos smells like despotic corruption. His appointment of provincial governors instead of free elections, and intimidation of news media, smells like communism warmed over.

We can be sure that the Cowboy who says what he means, and means what he says, leveled both barrels at Putin. Certainly the Russian president was glum in a joint press conference later before a global television audience.

There were some “Vladmirs” and a few “Georges” tossed out, but the undertone was tense.

Over all, Bush did well on his charm blitz. He made the gracious move to mend fences that Euronuts sundered. He smiled a lot, cracked a few jokes, spoke knowingly about issues and listened politely.

He allowed as how Chirac would make a “good cowboy” on the Bush ranch. Whenever you mess with a good ol’ boy, keep a grip on your watch, wallet and prejudices.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at linwms@lindseywilliams.org

Oooooooooo end ooooooooooo