Christopher Ruddy
Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Since his election, Bush, the Texan, has been ridiculed by the European establishment. They believed him to be dumb, naive and way too conservative.

Hmmmm. Sound familiar? Yes, Ronald Reagan, the cowboy actor, received similar derision from European elites.

But Reagan succeeded and is much more widely respected here today, because he stuck to his principles. As he said so often, it is much better to be respected than loved.

Certainly, as Americans we want our president to be respected by people around the world.

During my week here in Europe it is clear that Bill Clinton was greatly loved, but did not carry great respect as a person.

Clinton fit in well here, for the same reason Bush won't fit in well. Europe is fast becoming a socialist superstate.

During the past decade, Europe has been transformed. The slide to the left has been comprehensive.

Almost every country in Europe now sits squarely in the socialist camp. The recent election of a conservative businessman as Italy's premier has been an exception.

The socialists also dominate the most important countries of Europe: Britain, France and Germany.

Because of these facts, Bush, a conservative, has a much more difficult job ahead of him than Reagan had during the 1980s.

Europeans have gone soft and are angry that the U.S. won't subscribe to the Kyoto accords regarding global warming. No matter that global warming is based on junk science, environmentlism here is another excuse for more state control and more socialism.

Bush stood strong on his stance against Kyoto and spoke strongly in favor of missile defense. America believes this is where the real threat to mankind lies.

The result of Bush's firmness: Reaction to Bush has been generally positive. He has begun to win the respect of European elites and, more importantly, of the people of Europe.

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