Blair blasted Bush foes in France, Germany and Spain for being in a "state of denial," saying it was time for Europe to start "a sensible debate about why people in America feel as they do."

While Bush reportedly plans a fence-mending trip to Europe after his inauguration, it won't be easy. In the days after his election victory, the European press seethed its disdain.

According to a roundup of headlines compiled by CNSNews.com, the French tabloid, Le Parisien, ran the headline "Bush Re-elected, the French Disappointed.”

Begium's La Derniere Heure complained that Bush’s next term will be "four more years in which America will again be arrogant, sure of its righteousness and often deaf to its European allies and friends."

In the Netherlands, the Telegraaf has prophesied that Bush "will continue to divide Europe."

Both Blair and Bush recognize, however, that the global war on terror will require European cooperation. And while Europe's leaders were openly hostile to the American president before the Nov. 2 vote, there are signs that even Bush's harshest Euro-critics now see the handwriting on the wall.

Speaking at Oxford University last week, French President Jacques Chirac proclaimed: "North America and Europe are destined to work together because they share the same values, the same background. The transatlantic link is quite simply the political expression of our great and fundamental values."

Lauren De Bueriis contributed to this report.

Editor's note: