What a difference a day makes

Bush wins in convincing fashion, increasing the Republican lead in both the House and the Senate, and all of a sudden European leaders are falling all over themselves in the rush to both congratulate him and to pledge more cooperation in Iraq.

World leaders rushed to congratulate US President George W. Bush on his re-election to a second four-year term and pledged cooperation with Washington to heal deep divisions over a host of international issues, notably Iraq and the Middle East.

In Brussels, the European Union's executive arm extended "warm congratulations" to Bush on his re-election and pledged Europe's renewed commitment to the transatlantic link.

EU nations were deeply split over Washington's unilateralist policies, notably on Iraq, in Bush's first term in office, but are now coming together to work for the shattered country's reconstruction.

Call me cynical, but I doubt this would be happening had Bush not stood firm in his conviction that what he was doing was right, even though mistakes were made and the problems were much greater than anticipated.

Will this mean that Europe will not put pressure on Iran and Syria to back down and stop stirring the pot in Iraq? The possibilities take your breath away. Four years from now the world could be a completely different place.

Via Chrenkoff, who also references a story on Putin's reaction. I thought these words of Putin's were remarkable - "[Bush is] a reliable and predictable partner... [he] has proved to be a firm man, with a strong character, and a coherent policy."

Do I detect admiration?