May 07, 2007

Sarkozy’s Triumph in France Undercuts Key Dem Criticism of GWB

One of the perpetual refrains from the Dems is that GWB hasn't built good relationships with other nations.  This statement from Sarkozy, on the occasion of his election, undercuts that criticism:

Sarkozy added that he wanted to tell his "American friends that they can rely on our friendship ... France will always be next to them when they need us."

Sarkozy presented himself to the public in part as a candidate who would address the terrible problems France has with radical Islamists who continue to burn cars nightly:

The former interior minister with a tough line on immigration campaigned on a pledge to change France to face the realities of the 21st century and get the country back to work -- a platform viewed with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.

French newspapers of the left and right agreed Monday that Sarkozy -- often attacked as a divisive figure -- had won a clear mandate for reform.

"With the strong legitimacy his indisputable electoral performance gives him, the new president of the Republic can now begin his great transformation, but taking care, of course, to reconcile the French," wrote the right-wing Le Figaro.

...Youth gangs burned 360 cars in the high-immigration suburbs of Paris and other cities, where the former interior minister's tough stance on crime made him a hate figure for many.

But police said the number of car-burnings -- a grim ritual in many suburbs -- was similar to an average New Year's Eve and did not amount to "large-scale urban violence".

"Youths," of course, is a euphemism for radical Islamists, as has been noted by many, including the Washington Times:

The rioters who have burned out neighborhoods in cities across France for a fortnight are overwhelmingly of North African and Arab ancestry, overwhelmingly young, overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly cut off culturally and economically from the larger French society -- and overwhelmingly Muslim.

This shows how terribly serious France's situation is: the police have been reduced to accepting a "grim ritual" of nightly car burnings, as a normal part of life in France. They don't even consider 360 car burnings in one night to be "large-scale urban violence."

So not only has France's new leader declared friendship with the U.S. - in electing Sarkozy, France is following GWB's lead in recognizing the danger of radical Islam, and in standing up to fight it. It's a triumph, not only for France, but for GWB's leadership.  As Giuliani recently put it:

...President Bush's response to terrorism will ensure his legacy is that of "a great president."

"He will be, I believe, a president who will be viewed by history for this one decision as being a great president," the former New York mayor told about 100 Cedar Rapids-area Republicans during a quick campaign stop in eastern Iowa. "He decided in a flash to put our country on offense against terrorism."

To the Dems, building ties with other nations means doing whatever they want us to do, surrendering our ability to govern our own nation, to the whims of other nations, as per Kerry's famous "global test."

But the election in France has shown that GWB has succeeded in building ties to other nations, through a different method: courage and leadership. In electing Sarkozy, France has been inspired by the course GWB has taken.