Illusions outside the US
Amir Tahiri:
...
"The Arabs are not alone in deluding themselves that a Democrat at the White House will let them do as they please. Kerry's claim that several foreign leaders told him they need him to beat Bush is not as fanciful as the Republicans pretend. Some 'old Europe' politicians, including France's President Jacques Chirac, also hope a President Kerry will dance to their tune - not only on Iraq, but also on issues such as the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court.
"Dominique de Villepin, France's foreign minister, makes no secret of his belief that the Bush presidency has been an 'aberration' and that a Democratic president will 'lift the fog of war.'
"What the outside world must understand is that most Americans now believe that they are threatened by enemies who can strike in the very heart of the United States. But the average American's reaction is quite different from that of the Spaniards who changed their votes because of the 3/11 terrorist attacks on Madrid. Few Americans are prepared to turn the other cheek for Osama bin Laden and societies that have helped breed, raise and finance him. Nor would they share the 'old Europe' illusion that one can change the nature of a man-eater by feeding him vegetables and cuddling him.
"Sens. Kerry and Kennedy may be 'sincere friends of the Arabs,' as the Saudi media suggest. It is also quite possible that de Villepin told Kerry 'you've got to beat Bush for all of us.' But the problem that Arabs and some in the 'old Europe' have is that they do not yet understand that, for a majority of Americans, the War on Terror is a real war - not a pose that can be altered with a change of administration."
Amir Tahiri:
...
"The Arabs are not alone in deluding themselves that a Democrat at the White House will let them do as they please. Kerry's claim that several foreign leaders told him they need him to beat Bush is not as fanciful as the Republicans pretend. Some 'old Europe' politicians, including France's President Jacques Chirac, also hope a President Kerry will dance to their tune - not only on Iraq, but also on issues such as the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court.
"Dominique de Villepin, France's foreign minister, makes no secret of his belief that the Bush presidency has been an 'aberration' and that a Democratic president will 'lift the fog of war.'
"What the outside world must understand is that most Americans now believe that they are threatened by enemies who can strike in the very heart of the United States. But the average American's reaction is quite different from that of the Spaniards who changed their votes because of the 3/11 terrorist attacks on Madrid. Few Americans are prepared to turn the other cheek for Osama bin Laden and societies that have helped breed, raise and finance him. Nor would they share the 'old Europe' illusion that one can change the nature of a man-eater by feeding him vegetables and cuddling him.
"Sens. Kerry and Kennedy may be 'sincere friends of the Arabs,' as the Saudi media suggest. It is also quite possible that de Villepin told Kerry 'you've got to beat Bush for all of us.' But the problem that Arabs and some in the 'old Europe' have is that they do not yet understand that, for a majority of Americans, the War on Terror is a real war - not a pose that can be altered with a change of administration."
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