World: Mixed Reviews For Bush

European leaders urged President Bush to work closely with America's allies on issues like terrorism and the environment in his second term, while critics of the president worried re-election would embolden him to pursue conservative policies more aggressively than ever.

Many European newspapers greeted the president's triumph with dismay.

"Oops — they did it again," Germany's left-leaning Tageszeitung newspaper said in a front-page English headline.

"How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?" Britain's liberal Daily Mirror tabloid asked. "March of the Moral Majority," said the front page of the Daily Mail, above a photo of Mr. Bush with his wife and daughters.

In Spain, the conservative Spanish newspaper El Mundo, which vehemently opposed the Iraq war, printed a cartoon showing Osama bin Laden holding up Mr. Bush's arm in triumph.

"The impact of Sept. 11, fear of terrorism and a yearning for strong leadership have prevailed over desire for change because most Americans want simple answers to complex problems," El Mundo said in an editorial.

"Sadly, all signs are that the hawks who surround (Bush) will see the election results as firm support for and justification of both the doctrine of preventive war and its manifestation in the invasion of Iraq."

Politicians were more positive. Many had already offered their good wishes after Democrat John Kerry conceded to Mr. Bush on Wednesday, and the congratulations continued Thursday.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen sent a letter to Mr. Bush urging that "we together make an effort to give the relationship between the United States and Europe new energy."

German President Horst Koehler said in a telegram that his country will be a "friend and partner" to the United States.

"Further great tasks lie ahead of you over the coming four years," he wrote. "They are not only significant for your country, but they also have a global dimension."

In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped "the election results will serve humanity and peace."

Congratulations also came from Estonian Prime Minister Juhan Parts, who promised to continue his country's support for the war on terrorism and the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, where Estonia has 45 soldiers.

But on a continent where opposition to Mr. Bush's assertive foreign policy — and particularly to the Iraq war — has been strong, much of the reaction was less diplomatic.

The cover of the Swiss newsweekly Facts called Mr. Bush's re-election "Europe's Nightmare."

"It is now time to understand that George W. Bush was not a four-year aberration but represents the new America," the magazine said.

"They wanted him? Well, they got him," said Le Matin of Lausanne, Switzerland. "This time if the sky falls on their heads, they will have no one to blame but themselves."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said those who disagree with Mr. Bush must recognize that he was Americans' choice.

"It is in everybody's interests, including that of continental Europe ... that we work together with the United States," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

"I think that it is actually a moment of opportunity for the democratic world to come together and to work on items and issues, particularly the Middle East, on which we have seen frustratingly small progress in recent years," Straw said.

Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper also urged cooperation, and said Mr. Bush will need Europe's "political, financial and military help to put out the flames in the Middle East."

In Asia, many American allies hailed Bush's win as a victory for the global war on terror and hoped his second term would help defuse nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Others in the region feared a second Bush term could lead to more turmoil and worsen tension between Muslims and the West.

"It's a victory for the anti-terrorism cause," said Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch U.S. ally and friend of Bush. "This is a strong reaffirmation of his leadership of the United States in its fight against world terrorism."

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he hoped Mr. Bush's win would bring closer ties between Tokyo and Washington.

Pakistan, another U.S. anti-terror ally, also welcomed the re-election, but Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said he hoped the world's Muslims, including Palestinians and Kashmiris, would fare better under Bush's second term policies.

South Korea said it would continue to "closely cooperate" with Mr. Bush for a peaceful resolution of the nuclear dispute with Pyongyang.

Chinese President Hu Jintao said Beijing looked forward to promoting "constructive cooperative relations" with Washington, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, which has been hit by a string of deadly terror attacks in recent years, pledged to work closely with Mr. Bush.

"As countries that have fallen victims to terrorism, the United States and Indonesia are only too painfully aware of what is at stake," foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said.