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Sunday, December 04, 2005

Cub Scouts at a Knife Fight

No wonder the European professional diplomats feared the terrors that the finger-wagging John Bolton could unleash on them should he gain the keys to the UN executive washroom.

Apparently, a stern talking to by our top diplomat is enough to rattle them:

Rice began the year on her first foreign trip as secretary of state wooing European allies with a charm offensive that set a new tone for relations after disputes over Iraq.

But the top diplomat from the sole superpower can also get tough with her European counterparts.

U.S. diplomats recount how her successful stance against EU plans to lift an arms embargo against China unnerved Europeans, as she sternly told them not to sell weapons that could end up being aimed at U.S. forces in Asia.

One foreign minister spilled his drink when she delivered that warning over coffee in Brussels, a senior U.S. official said.


Spilled his drink? Or wet his pants with the spilled drink the convenient cover story?

The European diplomats must be in sheer terror in every meeting with their ruthless Iranian counterparts over Iran's nuclear programs. Is it any wonder the Europeans haven't convinced the terrorists of Tehran to forego nukes?