Dying to Diss' Old Europe? Think Twice

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News

Each time I return from a visit to the other side of the Atlantic, Don Rumsfeld looks smarter all the time - though for all the wrong reasons. I'll keep this brief because I'm still jet-lagged, but remember back in early 2003, when France and Germany opposed George Bush's Iraq invasion plan? That's when the then-U.S. Secretary of Defense took a public swipe at French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. In doing so, he also managed to insult a lot of Europeans to the delight of the neo-con crowd back home.

When you look at "vast numbers of other countries in Europe, they're not with France and Germany... they're with the U.S.," Rumsfeld said. "You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe."

Old Europe. What a great turn of phrase. Though his immediate problem was with Chirac and Schroeder over Iraq, Rumsfeld was really voicing the weariness, if not contempt, many conservative critics in the U.S. felt toward the liberal-left political culture that informs Western Europe. (A more pedestrian expression of the same sentiment was the renaming of french fries on the House of Representatives' cafeteria menu to "freedom fries?") Since the 2008 election, the U.S. right wing has accused Barack Obama of trying to pattern our country on social engineering models engineered by Europe's "Socialist elites." And that would be a bad thing, they say. Their argument being: "We're from Mars, they're from Venus; we're the rugged individualists, they're the welfare-state dependents; we created Silicon Valley, they created the baguette; we're the vanguard of freedom, they're cheese-eating surrender monkeys." I'd be careful about buying into the cliche. Europe obviously has issues to sort through. Yet a headline scan turns up no shortage of bizarre and untoward behavior in our own backyard. Consider the following:

A major American city's educational system teeters on the brink. Kansas City announced that it will have to shut almost half of its schools at the end of this school year because of a projected $50 million budget shortfall. Hard to imagine a Western European nation letting that happen to one of their own.

It's telling that at this point, even the WSJ allows that some kind of financial reform is going to be necessary. Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate can't figure out what to do - and this, 18 months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. You can blame incompetence in Washington but don't forget to credit the mighty efforts of banking lobbyists to block steps that threaten the status quo. If you have the time and the energy, the report by the court-appointed examiner of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan makes for fascinating reading. Among other choice nuggets: Lehman execs ignored accounting regularities and rigged the corporate balance sheet to snow outsiders. And Brutus is an honorable man.

More fodder for those who believe corporations control the Congress. Nearly 15 months after a reform-minded president came into office, we still don't have health care reform.

Speaking of Congress, the habits of a former member with a predilection for tickle fights became a prime time obsession. As if we should really care.

And silly me. I thought the judiciary was supposed to be immune from partisanship. Yet here was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court zinging the President of the United States for conducting what he described as a "political pep rally."

A high school in Mississippi cancels its prom following a request by a gay female student to attend the party with her same-sex date. (Here's the wording from the official statement: "Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year.") Distractions? Is this 2010 or 1910?

Karl Rove told the BBC that he "was proud" that the U.S. used harsh interrogation techniques on detainees, including waterboarding, which he asserted was not torture. "They're appropriate, they're in conformity with our international agreements and with U.S. law." So says Rove. That statement surely falls into the "Mars-Venus" category.
And while we're out in the remoter sectors of the constellation, let's not forget Glenn Beck, who urged his listeners to leave their churches if their clergy focus on "social justice" or "economic justice." A recommendation that ought to qualify our generation's Howard Beale as possessing the most pinched heart regularly appearing on prime-time television.

Well, that's just the short list. I could go on but why belabor the point? Most of the hired help in Washington either is too clueless or to gutless to acknowledge that when it comes to oddball and feckless behavior, the U.S. still has Europe beat by a country mile. The late, great George Carlin said it best. When you're born, they give you a pass to the freak show. When you're born in the United States, you get a front row seat. That's one thing we'll still have over Old Europe, every day of the week.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by RobAla March 14, 2010 6:36 PM EDT: The court ruled against 441b, and left 441e alone. Words taken from the ruling are below:

"Because 441b is not limited to corporations or associations created in foreign countries or funded predominantly by foreignshareholders, it would be overbroad even if the Court were to recognize a compelling governmental interest in limiting foreign influence over the Nation?s political process."

"441e(a)(1) (foreign nationals may not directlyor indirectly make contributions or independent expenditures in connection with a U. S. election)."

The President lied during the SOTU address when he stated that the ruling would allow foreign corporations to contribute politically.; Reply to this comment


by RobAla March 14, 2010 6:26 PM EDT: Make that
"against 441b, but left 441e alone".

Sorry for the typos.; Reply to this comment


by radicalc-2009 March 13, 2010 1:02 PM EST: Coop - What are you rambling about? You sound like you were born in another country with capitalist hating parents! How long did you have to meditate to come up with this nonsense and why is it even revelant to anything in the news today? Does anybody at CBS check these articles before you publish them?; Reply to this comment


by radicalc-2009 March 13, 2010 12:37 PM EST: Did an American write this article?

The majority of Americans will take freedom -- our constitution -- and the hope that America will once again rise as the great country she is over the Europeans who hate everything that has defined us any day of the week.

Those who think that Europe is better and we must appologize for everything we are -- are in the minority. Yea -- you guys have big mouths, but you don't represent anybody I know or have ever known in America. You are the fringe...

It doesn't matter how much of the media you control or how loud you scream, you can't change the heart of this country and the people that are still true Americans.

After this little progressive experiment is over, we will return to the center-right country that represents most of us. We always do!

And as far as you guys have tried to push us into the European model, the further the pendulum will swing the other direction when this push is defeated by We the People.

Enjoy it while you can...; Reply to this comment

by lakota2012 March 13, 2010 12:08 PM EST

Yep....18 months after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and their creative accounting ala Enron, where they hid $50 Billion in losses due to the bush/cheney Great Recession, we still have no financial reform and the republiCONS continue to try to blame the government on the whole financial debacle. I guess if you call 30 years of conservitard DEREGULATION, lack of oversight and lack of accountability, the fault of the government, instead of the political operatives for the wealthy and corporate elite, then I guess that might be correct.

Now that we're approaching the 10,800 level of the DJIA that we saw on Jan. 20th, 2001, as the busheviks stole power through the SCOTUS, it seems as if the Wall Street elitists are still fighting any financial reform that could protect the American people, only the next financial catastrophe will bring us to our knees in a severe depression.

Reply to this comment


by hateisafourletterword March 13, 2010 4:55 PM EST: lakota2012 - you might be a little ashamed to find out that the culprit was not Bush/Cheney. If you can handle facts, please continue reading, if not just leave a nasty, mean comment like many other ignorant CBS users do:

IN the late 1990's the FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board), an independent board that sets accounting standards for the U.S. (non-governmental I might point out) attempted to address several accounting issues including stock options, off balance sheet debt, etc.

Well as their bad luck would have it, their is a certain HUGE multi-national corporation located in a certain New England state with two U.S. Senators from a certain political party (not the Bush/Cheney political party please note). One of these esteemed Senators got wind of the proposed changes being discussed and in no UNCERTAIN terms let it be known that if they proceeded to make the changes contemplated final that he would introduce legislation to take the accounting standards away from the FASB and under the government.

So the FASB caved into the political pressure.

Now let me ask you, do you trust the U.S. government to handle accounting standards? If yes, do you trust the IRS? Is yes, do you realize the real debt is around $140 trillion NOT $14 trillion if you count the present value of the social security and medicare benefits payable today.

Oh yes those nasty republicans strike again.

I owe you an honest answer so you do not have to Google for too long. GE and Lieberman are the parties involved. Hardly republicans huh?

by lakota2012 March 13, 2010 11:48 AM EST

I just loved the conspiracy theorist, glenn beck, telling his conservitard listeners to leave their churches if their clergy focus on "social justice" or "economic justice," since apparently he is trying to re-write the Bible with completely different meaning. If the multi-millionaire talking heads on FAUX NoNooz had their way, they would want to corral all the non-thinking religious freaks with a conservitard bible preaching endless "trickle-down" economic lunacy, with only the rich, white ruling class over the rest of the serfs!

Reply to this comment


by radicalc-2009 March 13, 2010 12:55 PM EST: lakota - Why not just take a moment and consider what the ramifications are if Glenn Beck is right. If the government has successfully used class warfare to blind you and the real agenda is to shape America into a country you will not recognize, then we're all in deep &%&%. What if you are wrong about this "ruling class over the rest of us" thing and it's the progressives that want to take over your life and make ALL the decisions for you?

Do you honestly think the Obama is screaming at the insurance companies because he loves you?

by maistir March 13, 2010 10:57 AM EST

Just a little reminder: Europe and European political ideologies (also adopted in China, Japan and elsewhere) slaughtered 80,000,000 people between 1914 and 1994. The trans-Atlantic slave trade was a European invention; all the racial problems of the "New World" were originally made in Europe. Every military-political problem from Palestine to Pakistan has its roots in European colonial exploitation. Lets do an honest accounting of everyone's failures.

Reply to this comment


by lakota2012 March 13, 2010 11:41 AM EST: Typical conservitard history revision trying to point fingers and deflect blame from where it truly lies, since Americans have such short attention spans, and highly-partisan political rhetoric seems to win today!


by hateisafourletterword March 13, 2010 7:11 PM EST: lakota - seriously do you have a head or have you visited the tribal region of Pakistan lately and lost your head?

All the mid-east problems were due to European do gooding and drawing lines in the sand. Africa - ditto.

I suppose the holocaust never occurred either?


by lakota2012 March 13, 2010 9:18 AM EST: Great points Coop, and especially the fact that after a reform-minded president has been in office almost 14 months, we still have neither financial or health care reform, proving yet again that our congresscritters are controlled by the wealthy and corporate elite.; Reply to this comment

by RobAla March 13, 2010 9:12 AM EST

"I thought the judiciary was supposed to be immune from partisanship." Give me a break. The President bold faced lied before the nation in his SOTU address regarding the Supreme Court ruling. He looked them square in the face and all but made them out to "enemies of the people". The Court courtesy is to attend the SOTU and remain silent. So if the Chief Justice tries to defend the actions of the court, when he is in a forum which allows him to speak, you call him partisan? I believe you have shown your partisanship in making this claim. Was the Justice just supposed to allow the lies of a President stand, when those lies concerned a recent ruling by the Court? Whether you think the ruling was good or bad, this is not the point. The point is, that it should be expected for the Court to point it out when the President does something so classless and reckless. Wow!

Regarding Europe; I don't hold Europe out to be the model for the world. They have their own problems.

Reply to this comment


by lakota2012 March 13, 2010 11:36 AM EST: Apparently, you and your southern RED state brothers are in the VAST MINORITY on the FAR-right, since over 80% of Americans are in total agreement with the very poor decision by the right-leaning SCOTUS, giving the wealthy and corporate elite unlimited funding of political candidates.

No matter how you want to spin this story about an out-of-control SCOTUS, President Obama spoke his true feelings which are mirrored by the VAST MAJORITY of Americans, and didn't lie about anything, no matter how much FAUX NoNooz propaganda you want to spew!


by radicalc-2009 March 13, 2010 12:58 PM EST: lakota - Your worshipping Obama in public again...

by hateisafourletterword March 13, 2010 7:27 AM EST

You mean the same French who laid down against Germany twice last century? The same French who had a leader with the gall to ask the U.S. how long it would take to leave France after we defeated Germany in WWII after losing hundreds of thousands of men? You actually care about what the French think?

France is good at one thing and only once thing - wine. Otherwise they are a bunch of bloated elitists with no morality whatsoever.

Reply to this comment


by babooph March 13, 2010 9:15 AM EST: Maybe they counted on the British ally not pulling their airforce & running away in ww2-I thought they won ww1 though?


by hateisafourletterword March 13, 2010 10:16 AM EST: I guess you are not offended by de Gaulle requesting that he lead the victory parade into Paris and then asking our military how long it would take to leave France?

The reply if you have forgotten - we will only stay long enough to bury our dead soldiers. That class sort of sums it all up doesn't it.