Myth-Busting: Europe Hates Bush

June 19, 2008 · Filed Under Bush Derangement Syndrome, Chris Jones, Opinion, Uncategorized

The liberal media loves to get all weepy talking about how much President Bush has made Europeans hate America. Lefties love to opine that countries around the world will be celebrating when Bush leaves office. However, when you look at the geopolitical developments in recent years they tend to tell a very different story.

Rachel Marsden sums it up perfectly in her new column:

The foreign media may tell us that the public over there despises Dubya, yet they’re constantly electing folks who share his post 9/11 beliefs and policies. (Keep in mind that before 9/11, even Bush was known as a center-right pragmatic politician who had no interest in nation building or foreign intervention.)

Rachel is absolutely right about that. Every single European leader who was hostile and uncooperative with the Bush Administration has since been booted out of office and replaced with a pro-American leader.

Probably the best example of this is France. When Bush took office Jacques Chirac was President of France. If you wanted anti-American, then Chirac was your man. Chirac personally disliked President Bush and the feelings were allegedly mutual. The French President was not only a constant impediment at the UN, but an asshole to boot.

So if the French are so opposed to Bush and his so-called “cowboy diplomacy” then why did Chirac lose the election to ultra pro-American candidate Nicolas Sarkozy? France is now America’s staunchest ally in Europe now that Sarkozy is in office. Unlike Chirac, Sarkozy is also a reliable ally in the War On Terror.

Sarkozy is in fact so pro-American that he’s known as “Sarko The American” in France. He actually ran on a platform of improving relations with the United States. Now how could a man like that be elected by people who hate America? I guess Bush stole that election also.

Then there’s Germany. Gerhart Schröder was Chancellor of Germany when President Bush took office. Like Chirac, he went out of his way to be uncooperative with President Bush and U.S. foreign policy in general. He also had an unhealthy crush on Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that’s a story best saved for another time.

If the Germans wanted an antidote to President Bush as the media would have us believe, then why was he booted out of office and replaced by Angela Merkel?

Like Sarkozy, Merkel has done everything possible to repair relations with America. She has been a strong ally in the War On Terror and enjoyed a warm relationship with President Bush.

In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi was elected Prime Minister this year. He’s a long time ally of the U.S. and also enjoys warm relations with President Bush.

Britain also remains a close ally. When Tony Blair was replaced by Gordon Brown the media gleefully predicted a colder relationship with the Bush Administration. Unfortunately for liberals, that also hasn’t panned out. Brown announced this week that the U.K. will be sending even more troops to Afghanistan at President Bush’s request.

Are there people in Europe who hate America? Absolutely. In fact we’ve people in America who hate America, but they certainly don’t represent the majority.

The overwelming majority of Europeans do not harbor any ill feelings towards America or to President Bush, the media just wishes they did.

Rather than pushing our allies away, President Bush has in fact made our relationship with European countries stronger than ever. He will leave office with the most important countries in Europe once again on our side.

-Chris Jones