US President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is committed to the NATO treaty's crucial Article Five mutual defense pledge.
Amid worries by European allies that the US leader had not fully bought in to the Atlantic treaty, Trump told reporters "I'm committing the United States to Article Five. Certainly we are there to protect."
Now that the Europeans have heard the words, would they get on with being allies?
Perhaps the Europeans have forgotten what treaties are after 8 years of "phone and pen" Obama who initialed agreements that do not bind America to the agreements--they only bound President Obama. Until he decided they didn't. And subsequent presidents (and a future Congress, for that matter) are also free to decline to participate.
But NATO is an alliance formed by a treaty that was duly approved by our Senate, committing America to defend European NATO allies.
That's it. Period. Trump's affirmation was totally unnecessary.
Good God, this has just been a sad episode for the West.
