[MadIvan]

The rhetoric in the EU is far outstripping the reality. Prodi talks in grand rhetoric about Europe defending itself and having its own defence pacts...the reality in contrast is Germany is shrinking its defence budget and the only EU nation with a sizeable and modern military is Britain.

They create a "Growth and Stability" pact and couch it in huge rhetoric about how this is going to bring prosperity to Europe. The reality is that there is neither growth nor stability in most of the Euro zone.

The entire EU adventure is so disconnected from reality you have to wonder if it was made up by a bunch of French and German university students who got drunk together.

Regards, Ivan

[Airborne Longhorn]

Your remarks remind me of that great Mark Steyn article: "Put Up or Shut Up".

Your comment: "The entire EU adventure is so disconnected from reality you have to wonder if it was made up by a bunch of French and German university students who got drunk together" points me to this gem from Steyn:

"You’ll recall Louis Michel, the Belgian foreign minister, insisting late last year that the European Rapid Reaction Force ‘must declare itself operational without such a declaration being based on any true capability’. As the Washington Post remarked, ‘Apparently in Europe this works.’

"Asked to set up an actual operational Rapid Reaction Force, most Nato members bristled: the cost would divert valuable resources from social programmes and might mean they’d have to cut back on welfare payments to Islamic terrorists."

Isn't this choice? Even the Washington Post marveled at the lunacy...