The Charisma Initiative

As President Bush has toured the capitals of new and old Europe this week, his first foreign trip of the second term has been met with interesting responses on both sides of the Atlantic. These reactions have been instructive for what they say about recent history, and what they portend for the next four years.

In Europe there was much focus on what the newspapers and leaders had to say about Mr. Bush's charisma initiative. There was talk about the president's "new willingness" to listen to our European allies, take their concerns to heart, and begin a reconciliation to help forge a new beginning for our alliance. Indeed, Mr. Bush encouraged this talk with his own statements about this being a "listening tour" (a page out of Hillary's playbook?), and his desire to "look at" Europe's proposal to lift their arms sale embargo on China.

What was most interesting though, was what was not said or at least not widely acknowledged. This unspoken truth that formed the undercurrent running through the entire visit was the simple fact that Mr. Bush, through the benefit of a courageous bet and good fortune, was returning to Europe from a position of strength. Simply put, the recently completed Iraqi elections revealed old Europe to be positioning themselves for occupancy on the losing side of history.

Compared to President Bush, who looked dashing as he sported two historic foreign policy successes, a breezing economy and the moral highground that comes from destroying tyranny (not to mention a Matrix-esque Sec. of State!), Chirac and Schroeder appeared on their heels as the defeated technocrats. This image was amplified when Chirac snubbed Bush at dinner by speaking French; the desperate act of a failed leader too small to admit his mistake. How it must hurt to have been outsmarted by the dull American cowboy.

The view on this side of the Atlantic was also quite interesting. Americans in general reveled in the glory that comes from global success, and most can now feel the wind at their backs for the first time since the dawn of the new century. Of course, some Democrats tried to sell the canard, that Bush's trip represented the implementation of John Kerry's foreign policy, but this is just the folly of those who should know better.

Had the November election turned in John Kerry's favor it is quite likely that today we would be in a very different position. For one thing, it is almost certain that once in office, Kerry would have postponed the Iraqi elections due to "security problems". This move would have emboldened both the terrorists and old Europe's leaders. Instead of venturing to Europe victorious, a President Kerry would have gone hat in hand, searching for an "exit strategy".

So in the end, the ultimate winners this week were the American and Iraqi voters. The American voters because of their wisdom and courage to stay the course when the naysayers where predicting a gruesome end in Iraq. The Iraqi voter, because when they were given the chance for democracy, they stood up in the face of mortal peril and asked to be counted.

In doing so, both peoples united and stood as an example for the rest of the world. And the march of liberty moves on. Anyone suprised by Syria's announcement today that it intends to pull out of Lebanon? Stay tuned, this is getting interesting.