UNCLE TURKEY SCARED THEM - FOR A MOMENT | 2002-09-07
Right after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, I wrote a daily WhitakerOnline for the rest of the week. My September 15 column was entitled "Our Allies Love Us - For the Moment."
Thousands of Americans had just been killed and nobody knew how America would react. Even China and Iran tried to get on the right side of this suddenly new America, this America that might have turned really mean.
Until September 11, everybody loved to kick Sweet Old Uncle Turkey. If there was trouble in Europe the United States had to take care of it or Europeans would say they were Isolationists. When the United States got in there to take care of Europeans, the Europeans called them "Imperialists."
Americans ate it up. We get a big feeling of Humility when Europeans and East Coasters tell us how Evil we are. And East Coasters and Europeans love it, too. If you want to get elected in Europe, just bite the United States on the backside and say how smart and noble Europeans are.
I am not telling anybody a thing we haven't all known for years.
Things changed suddenly on September 11, 2001. The real point is, though, that exactly as I predicted, things changed TEMPORARILY on September 11. That day internationalists were afraid that the death of thousands of innocent American civilians might make America demand something for Americans for a change.
They needn't have worried.
Everything is back to normal. Europeans are biting our rumps and we are back to apologizing for having backsides at all.