All Hat, No Cattle #7682

President Bush loves playing the Bad Cop, talking tough, laying down “markers,” rabbiting on about good and evil and threatening those in the latter column… The problem, of course, is that the Bad Cop is simply a foil; it’s the Good Cop who resolves issues and provides the real leadership. And, of course, anyone vaguely familiar with the routine knows not to take the Bad Cop seriously.

So what was Bush thinking going off to NATO and demanding that it admit Ukraine and Georgia as members, even when it was obvious to everyone that French and German opposition — based on reluctance to antagonize Russia for gratuitous reasons — would sink the idea. Nope, Bush had to push it. And, predictably, to get ignored, or more correctly, indulged but not taken seriously as he warbles on about his “freedom agenda” etc. — and it’s left to the European NATO leaders to chart a realistic way forward.

Funny, there was a time when the U.S. liked to offer real leadership in such forums and leave the posturing to others. But that was a while ago…