This is no time for theological quarrels but for pragmatic responses to make our security tools more effective and operational in the face of crises. The EU and NATO must march hand in hand.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to be your friend, your ally and your partner. But a friend who stands on his own two feet. An independent ally. A free partner.
This is good. But let's not get carried away. When you drop a weight you long carried, the absence of that burden seems to lighten you. But it does not make you stronger.
And Sarkozy states incorrectly that Europe is our friend. I heartily disagree. Europeans can be our friends. Europe, as embodied in the European Union, will not be our friend. We cannot let down our guard on this issue just because France no longer spurns us.
France dropped Chirac, and so our burden is lifted. We can indeed go farther without them dragging us down. So I'm grateful for this alone.
But I hope Sarkozy can make France a contributing ally in this Long War that we fight. Yes indeed, long live French-American friendship.
