European-U.S. Relations After The Bush Visit: What's New? Not Much!

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Most thoughtful observers recognize that (contrary to the worldview of Jacques Chirac, Wolfgang Schroeder, and John Forbes Kerry) "Europe" means more than merely France and Germany. Poland is Europe; so are the Czech Republic and Slovakia, all of which Donald Rumsfeld famously called New Europe. Keeping that in mind, I like the questions that the always-quotable Mark Steyn asks about the real significance of the recently-concluded Bush "charm offensive" in Old Europe:

And at the end what's changed?

Will the United States sign on to Kyoto?

No.

Will the United States join the International Criminal Court?

No.

Will the United States agree to accept whatever deal the Anglo-Franco-German negotiators cook up with Iran?

No.

The whole piece is worth reading. Of course, what Mark Steyn piece is not?