Bush's Allies

Of all the charges hurled by the Democrats against President Bush, one of the hoariest is that he has alienated America's European allies. So it's interesting to see the new warmth in America's relations with France, symbolized by the toasts at the White House dinner this week for President Sarkozy, and the photographs of Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Bush touring Mount Vernon. If you missed the story you must have been reading the New York Times, which instead of the Mount Vernon pictures yesterday ran an image of Mr. Sarkozy and the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, as if what was responsible for the change in tone in the Franco-American relationship were not the election in France, but the one in America. The Times found Mr. Sarkozy's visit not worth a mention on its front page, perhaps because it contradicts the Democratic talking points about how Mr. Bush has alienated our allies in Europe. To give but one example, in June Senator Clinton claimed "the administration has systematically broken down and thrown aside our hard-won partnerships and alliances."

It's not only France with which America's relations are on the mend. Chancellor Merkel is expected this weekend at Mr. Bush's ranch at Crawford, Texas, a sign of warming ties with Germany. And Prime Minister Erdogan was in Washington last week, too, the third leader of a NATO ally that did not back the Iraq War to make a pilgrimage to repair relations with Mr. Bush. The upshot is that while the decision to invade Iraq strained America's relations with some of our allies, the damage has hardly been irreparable, and it hasn't taken a Democratic president to do the repairing. Mr. Bush hasn't changed his policies one iota to appease the French, the Germans, or the Turks. Rather, those nations have seen it in their interest to have strong relations with America, and have developed a respect for a president who stands steadfastly for freedom. So the next time the Democrats claim Mr. Bush alienated our allies, voters can remember the photo of Mr. Bush and Mr. Sarkozy at Mount Vernon, and know it's a phony charge.