Can he get Americas European allies to cut out the carping?
Oh, those Americans. Traditional U.S. friends in Europe have been complaining about Bush Administration policies since the day he was elected. Imagine how the Europeans — who culturally loathe capital punishment — feel about Bush’s willingness to mete out the death penalty as governor of Texas. But that’s just the beginning. Among the areas of conflict: Bush’s summary rejection of the Kyoto accords on global warming, the Administration’s planned antimissile defense system, White House tough talk about steel imports, and threats of U.S. troop withdrawal from the Balkans. The Euros will be quick to lecture the President. But the Bush Administration wants to leave Europe with a different theme in the headlines. “We have more in common than we have in disagreement,” says National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. “We really should be celebrating that which we have in common.” It’ll be a small step in the right direction if Britain’s Tony Blair, Germany’s Gerhard Schröder, and Putin all
