Wow. A completely negative view about Bush's initiative to patch up things in Europe, - from Canadian Mark Steyn.

And you know what? I'm almost in agreement with him: 'This week we're toasting the end of an idea: the death of "the West".'

The sad part is that Europeans are clueless as to the sea-change that is certainly happening right now. They're still all caught up in wanting to be "an equal partner" to the US, without paying the price. In other words, still hoping to catch a free ride on the shoulders of the American worker-consumer.

Finns should ask themselves why did Lipponen (the smarter of the Social Democratic set) make an appearance in New York a few weeks ago for a speech to the Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce? At least he has a clue that the bridges might not be that sturdy, after all. Goodbye to Nokia, and all of that quick growth...

Europe is all washed up. The demographics say it all: aging populations, lavish welfare states, and scloretic business environments, (not to mention a completely inept policy in handling third-world immigrants). The worst part, of course, is this insiduous bigotry against the American worker-consumer, who wound up paying the lion's share of the costs for the secure, European welfare state.

It won't take long for Americans to wake up to that fact, especially when ex-Europeans - like me - get on the campaign trail.