By Jane Perlez and Frank Bruni
New York Times News Service
WASHINGTON - President Bush will carry few specific proposals when he embarks on his first major overseas trip Monday, hoping instead that face-to-face encounters will win over Europeans skeptical of his policies and abilities.
"The common European perception is of a shallow, arrogant, gun-loving, abortion-hating, Christian fundamentalist Texan buffoon," said a senior administration official who will accompany Bush to Europe. "They read all the press about a hard-line unilateralist. They really believe this stuff about cowboys. We need to get it all on a higher plane.
Though Bush and his aides say they are aware of Europe's disagreements with the administration on a variety of issues - including the death penalty and the environment - they have been depicting these as problems that could be overcome by the president's charm and personality - as happened, experts note, with President Ronald Reagan nearly two decades ago."
caller.com
The Europeans are very perceptive and forward thinking. They will be able to look right past the "charm" bullshit, and confront him on his backward ideas. The press, who Dubya's aides say are responsible for the perception, still haven't even gotten into the issue of his cocaine use, illegal stock trading, and the Texas Rangers scam on the Arlington, Tx. taxpayers.
There is no perception problem. The press has let him off easy compared to the constant hammering on Clinton.
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