October 1, 2004
VENUS GETS THE VAPORS:
Europe Flattered, Unnerved by Kerry Overtures (Mark John, 10/01/04, Reuters)
U.S. presidential contender John Kerry will have won yet more admirers in Europe with his pledge during a campaign debate to restore alliances damaged by the transatlantic split over the Iraq war.But his forthright overtures may also prompt squirming in European governments as they realize a Kerry victory on Nov. 2 would force them to show willing by offering more help to end the violence there, analysts said Friday.
"Kerry created a mood of empathy for the Europeans, which is no surprise," said Annette Heuser, director of the Bertelsmann Foundation think-tank, of a debate Thursday pitting President Bush against his Democratic rival.
"But I would warn Europeans it would then be up to us to deliver," she said, adding that Kerry's popularity with the European public could make it harder for war opponents such as France and Germany to ignore future calls for military help.
They always find some way to ignore those calls. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 1, 2004 2:09 PM
Given their actual military capabilities they can easily beg off by saying they are washing its hair this weekend.
Posted by: luciferous at October 1, 2004 2:21 PMRemember how we heard Clinton would do a lot better with Europe than Bush Sr? and yet Europe stiffed Clinton just as much (i.e. the Balkans). The same would happen to Kerry.
Posted by: AWW at October 1, 2004 2:38 PMIt is time to end or at least dramatically change NATO. An alliance with France and Belgium has no value, as they are enemies of our nation. An alliance with Germany may again have some worth once Schroeder hits the bricks, but the Germans can never be trusted. Churchill was right when he said 'The Hun is at your feet or at your throat.'
Our focus should instead be on the Anglosphere, the emerging nations of Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and the Far East. If the Muslim infestation should overwhelm Old Europe, it ain't our problem. However, we should be receptive to the surviving Euros sending the art treasures and the cookbooks here.
Posted by: Bart at October 1, 2004 2:52 PMCreating a mood of empathy for Europeans is not a winning political strategy in America. Ultimately, that is why Kerry (despite the spin and first reactions) will not move the numbers.
The more he goes on about 'alliances' and 'summits', the more people will wonder - is he going to DO anything himself? Can he? That line is what the GOP should play up over the next 5 weeks. John Kerry - the man who loves conferences more than victory.
Posted by: jim hamlen at October 1, 2004 10:40 PMUltimately Kerry is all about bluster. He claimed that he would clean up the loose nuclear situation in Russia in 4 years. How? Does he think that he would so charm Putin that he would gain unfettered access for US special forces to scour the country? Even if he did, it would take more than 4 years for us to accomplish such a mission.
He claims that he would always follow diplomatic channels and multilateral forums and at the same time he makes extroadinary claims that everything he would do would meet with unbelievable success in short timelines. It would take 4 years for one of his multilateral efforts just to create a draft of its operating charter. Somehow, it is all about his extroadinary gifts of persuasion.
Posted by: Robert Duquette at October 2, 2004 1:46 PM