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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (102340)	2/26/2005 5:05:31 PM
From: Hoa Hao	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793885

An interesting comment by an internet friend from elsewhere regarding Bush's trip to Europe: It was not to cosy up to Jaques, nor to appease the Euro press, but to appeal over both their heads to the European people directly. The Euro press and the old Europe elites both have been immovably anti American since Clinton had to vacate the White House. When after 9/11 the Bush administration decided that Islamo fascist sponsored terrorism had to be countered, the Euro elites felt threatened because their clientele, which had provided them with lots of profitable business, came under attack. They did their utmost to blunt the American onslought. The Euro press, more liberal than even the US press, saw an opportunity to vent their unending hate of US conservatism. This toxic partnership in turn guaranteed that the majority of the European public was never informed correctly over what was happening, and their anti-americanism was fanned. The Iraqi election blunted the arguments of the Euro press and Euro elites, but they would still not correctly inform their public. But the elections had sown doubt about the unmitigated evil that the US invasion of Iraq was supposed to be. For the first time, Bush would get a hearing in Europe if he could make himself heard. That's why he came to Europe. That's why his speaches hammered on freedom and democracy. His visit had to be covered by print and TV, could not be ignored or effectively spun, and thus could not be effectivily censored. Millions of sceptical Europeans have heard his message straight for the first time in their lives. And he was at least somewhat convincing. Many Europeans now know there is another side to the argument, and the version they have been fed for years may be fatally flawed. This severily limits the degree of misinformation Euro elites and press can feed their citizenry from now on. Bush has stricken a direct blow to the Euro axis of evil. I only understood this clearly when my wife told me the following. Liberal friends (one card carrying anti-American, one mild one) of ours yesterday had a heated discussion about freedom. How could they reconsile the fact that the Iraqis had voted with abandon, a fact only possible because of Iraqs illegal occupation which they had always opposed. It was when I heard that that I understood the Bush' teams masterstroke. They had addressed the European public directly, over the heads of press and elites, to ram home the message of Iraq's elections and America's support of freedom. They have permanently deprived their European opponents of the freedom to totally misinform. They have spread a little freedom in Europe ... Cheers, Wijnand