BUT THERE’S PLENTY OF MONEY FOR AIRBUS-RELATED BRIBES:

Tony Blair conceded today that a European Union donation to help fight Aids, TB and malaria would fall short of the $1bn (£600m) pledged by the United States.

The prime minister had made a joint call with French president Jacques Chirac for the EU to match America’s commitment to the UN’s Global Health Fund, set up to fight the three killer diseases.

But speaking at the EU summit in Greece, he said the smaller of the 15 existing EU members and 10 countries joining next year were not prepared to commit the money for 2004 because of “budget problems”.

The reader sending the link notes:

Bush promised the money, and he’s put up the money. The E.U. promised to match Bush’s money, and they haven’t.

But Europeans still think the U.S. is a bigger threat to safety in the world than Al Qaeda.

The E.U. is much, much bigger on making promises than on fulfilling them.