French Kissing the Mullahs

I guess the Europeans think that if you kiss the mullahs enough times they will turn from frogs to princes. England’s Straw, France’s de Villepin and Germany’s Fischer continued that charade again this week, making their umpteenth deal with the regime in Tehran in return for the mullahs’ promise, promise, promise not to produce nukes. In the light of yesterday’s events in Russia, this seems particularly ludicrous and pernicious. The Iranian government is known to be the world’s leading governmental supporter of terror groups. Straw et al must have a low sympathy quotient for Russian school children.

Leon de Winter has an interesting roundup of Euro press views of this demarche in Europe’s Iran Fantasy. De Winter reminds us:

Few commentators could resist the opportunity to malign Bush, even though many realized that Iran had no intention of adhering to the agreement.

My suspicion is if the US did not have the military force it does, the Euros would not be so accomodating of Iran. Like angry adolescents, they bash us until the cows come home, knowing full well that we will clean up for them in the end. And we will, alas. What a syndrome we’re in.