Rocky Mountain News: Bush Presses for Turkey's Admission to EU

"[Pres.] Bush also held up Turkey as a model for the Middle East as he met earlier in the day in Ankara with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

'I appreciate so very much the example your country has set on how to be a Muslim country and at the same time a country which embraces democracy and rule of law and freedom,' Bush said.

There was no mention here of the Turkish parliament's rejection last year of a U.S. request to let American troops use Turkish bases as a staging point to invade Iraq from the north. Instead, Bush emphasized his support for Turkey's bid for admission to the European Union.

'I believe you ought to be given a date by the EU for your eventual acceptance into the EU,' he said."

Does Bubba Bush really believe that his remarks have any weight in the EU? It's very much like a shyster trying to sell the Eiffel Tower to a wealthy tourist. Not that the Turks don't know that.

Or, should we read this differently? If Bush pushes EU acceptance of Turkey, it probably lessens the chances of such a thing happening. Then Bush would be able to hold onto Turkey, the outsider, as an ally. That seems much more plausible.

After all, Bush has burned Bridges with Spain, Poland, even Italy with his selling of the Iraq war on false pretenses. He needs to find a new batch of oversea suckers.