Continental Drift: Communications Break Down

As Bush heads off on a "fence-mending" (who broke the fences, George?) tour of European capitals, a BBC correspondent looks at the growing divide between the USA and Europe:

America is fast becoming a nation of faith not fact. A nation where the unpleasant aspects of human existence are simply airbrushed away...

The talk of common values is increasingly just talk. On the big issues, issues governing proper human conduct, the two continents are utterly divided.

Bush himself talks about an "idealistic United States and a cynical Europe" even while dismissing such imagery as a false caricature. Most people in the world today, however, would rephrase that as a "deluded United States and a realistic Europe".

Here's what Bush had to say about the repeated threats of US military action against Iran:

"I hear all these rumors about military attacks, and it's just not the truth.

Listen, first of all, you never want a president to say 'never.' But military action is certainly not -- it's never the president's first choice. Diplomacy is always the president's first -- at least my first choice...

I believe diplomacy can work so long as the Iranians don't divide Europe and the United States."

In other words, it's up to the Europeans to agree with US plans or take the blame for whatever happens. Just like Iraq, where Bush's idea of "diplomacy" was to trash the UN and blame European countries for ignoring his squawking panic about non-existent WMDs.

It's still "with us or with the terrorists" in Bush's world. For those of us who wish to take neither side, mere communication with the Bushites remains surreally difficult.