Posted on 07/13/2004 5:38:14 PM PDT by notforhire
José Manuel Barroso, the outgoing Portuguese prime minister who has been nominated as president of the European Commission, on Tuesday criticised the US for its occasional "arrogance" and sought to distance himself from some of his recent domestic policies by underlining his social and environmental credentials.
Questioned on Portugal's involvement in the US-led war coalition in Iraq, on the first day of hearings before the European parliament, Mr Barroso said that, while he was a long-standing admirer of the US, he also hated what he described as American "arrogance" and "unilateralism". He added: "I think there are magnificent things that exist in the US as well as some fairly horrific things."
While he would not be drawn, for example, into taking sides on the contentious issue of providing European passenger name records to Washington, he said he would fight for reciprocity in this kind of agreement and ensure the EU was not considered "second-class" in international negotiations.
Mr Barroso said he would run the Commission as a politician rather than a technocrat, but also as a "reformist of the centre" able to bridge the gap between Europe's different political families and between Brussels and often apathetic or sceptical voters across the continent.
In particular, Mr Barroso offered an olive branch to Socialist members of the parliament by insisting that "in my scale of values, social policy comes way above economics". He added: "It will not be acceptable, as we push for more competitiveness, to change the social spirit of Europe."
He also sought to appease concerns among MEPs that, having emerged last month as a last-minute consensus candidate for the Commission presidency, he might be more willing to accommodate the views of powerful member states than the concerns of MEPs. He said: "We need a strong, credible and independent Commission. The only way to say sometimes No to member states is to have the strong backing of the European parliament."
Mr Barroso yesterday also rejected calls for sharp cuts in the proposed European Union budget, as advocated by the six biggest net contributors. Following the EU's enlargement to 25 member states, he said cuts would send the wrong signal to the 10 newcomers.
These European people tend to be uncooperative.
We need an American Union to counteract this creep.
I think he hasn't gotten over losing to Greece on home turf.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't let the doorknob hit you in your mouth, on your way out.
Ditto!
I think someone here made the case that the anti-christ would rise out of Portugal (or was it Spain?)...can't remember.
And consider One World Leader as head of the UN (Clintoon himself??).
The head of the EU and the head of the UN working in tandum against the US and Isreal??....interesting.
(does my Aluminum Deflector Beanie need calibration???)
"I think there are magnificent things that exist in the US as well as some fairly horrific things."
Yeah, America sucks. Please pass the word to all the Portuguese clamoring for entry visas at the US embassy in Lisbon.
Another Euro Parrot.
That's why we're going to kill the EU economically, just like the Soviet Union. They'll be a basket case like Cuba that only survives by catering to the European tourists' lust for sex and sun.
Ah yes, "arrogant" - it's becoming one of the left's favorite pejoratives - not surprising it's what they think they've encountered when they come up against someone who's "determined" and "confident", what with them having so little first-hand experience with these qualities themselves.......
The West has several big disadvantages in what I see as a global war on terrorism. First; the West generally doesn't even recognize that it is at war. It took the U.S. a direct attack and then a large part (the Dems primarily) still deny it. Second; the enemy is driven by a religious zeal. I believe the enemies religion to be wrong and baseless, but that religious zeal will give the enemy a big advantage over a West that is largley atheistic. I believe this atheism is in large part the reason the West has yet to face up to what needs to be done. Barosso is more concerned with junk-science ecology and P.C. issues than defeating an enemy who wants to kill him, his countrymen and his way of life. God help us all. Please!
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