( OT ) Bush seeks to mend fences on Europe trip
 

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/...ces/print.html

Extract

During her well-received tour of Europe and the Middle East this month,
Rice said the United States "stands ready to work with Europe on our
common agenda, and Europe must stand ready to work with America."

Even so, Bush has a history of alienating leaders on the continent with
blunt words and actions that many Europeans associate with a cowboy.
Polls show that Bush remains unpopular in Europe.

*"There are a lot of people in Europe who don't really comprehend how
this guy got re-elected.* There's a basic distrust of him and his
administration. But everybody also realizes he's going to be around for
the next four years," said Ivo Daalder, an expert on Europe for
President Clinton's National Security Council staff.