Bush in Brussels

Jay Nordinger had a great column yesterday on NRO. Here it is...

Can I grin over the president, just a little — even though the topic is quite serious (a nuclear Iran)? In Brussels, he said, "This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table."


I can't tell you how much I love that — it's better than "Now watch this drive." President Bush has almost zero patience for boilerplate, even though he repeats it (as he must). And he just can't help showing his impatience.

Also, I tend to like it when Bush is snippy. Remember when Gore said to him, over the phone on Election Night 2000, "You don't have to get snippy with me"? I'd bet a million dollars that Bush was, in fact, snippy.

In Brussels, he said, essentially, "We don't think we have to take out your nukes right this second. But, you know? We may."

I wanted to take note of a couple of things in Bush's big Feb. 21 speech. Did you catch that opening joke? I thought it was enormously shrewd.

You know, on this journey to Europe, I follow in some large footsteps. More than two centuries ago, Benjamin Franklin arrived on this continent to great acclaim. An observer wrote, 'His reputation was more universal than Liebniz or Newton, Frederick or Voltaire, and his character more beloved and esteemed than any or all of them.' The observer went on to say, 'There was scarcely a peasant or citizen who did not consider him as a friend to humankind.'

I've been hoping for a similar reception. But Secretary Rice told me I should be a realist.

Bush also said, ". . . our strong friendship [that between Europe and the United States] is essential to peace and prosperity across the globe, and no temporary debate, no passing disagreement of governments, no power on earth will ever divide us."

That seems to me false, but maybe a necessary falsity. There is much that can divide us, for a very long time. If "peace and prosperity across the globe" depends on European-American friendship — well, too bad for peace and prosperity across the globe. I'm fond of quoting the adage, "We don't have permanent alliances, we have permanent interests." And it's just possible that U.S. interests and those of, say, France have seriously diverged. Alliances aren't forever. The record of mankind makes that much clear.

Said Bush, "After many false starts and dashed hopes and stolen lives, a settlement of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is now within reach." I was taken with that phrase, "stolen lives."

I interpreted what follows as a rebuke — a polite, semi-disguised rebuke — to certain Euros. See if you agree:

Together, we must make clear to the Iraqi people that the world is . . . with them, because they have certainly shown their character to the world.
An Iraqi man who lost a leg in a car bombing last year made sure he was there to vote on January the 30th. He said, "I would have crawled here if I had to. I don't want terrorists to kill other Iraqis like they tried to kill me. Today, I'm voting for peace."

Every vote cast in Iraq was an act of defiance against terror. And the Iraqi people have earned our respect.

Some Europeans joined the fight to liberate Iraq, while others did not. Yet all of us recognize courage when we see it. And we saw it in the Iraqi people.

Nice, no?

Well done, cowboy.