TimesOnline: Barack Obama fails to win Nato troops

TimesOnline headline:

Barack Obama fails to win Nato troops he wants for Afghanistan

Barack Obama made an impassioned plea to America’s allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, warning that failure to do so would leave Europe vulnerable to more terrorist atrocities.

But though he continued to dazzle Europeans on his debut international tour, the Continent’s leaders turned their backs on the US President.

Gordon Brown was the only one to offer substantial help. He offered to send several hundred extra British soldiers to provide security during the August election, but even that fell short of the thousands of combat troops that the US was hoping to prise from the Prime Minister.

Just two other allies made firm offers of troops. Belgium offered to send 35 military trainers and Spain offered 12. Mr Obama’s host, Nicolas Sarkozy, refused his request.

I would like to suggest that President Obama pay for the extra Afghanistan troops by reducing the U.S. contribution to Nato by the amount needed to fund the deployment of those troops. Nato had a usefulness once but no longer. The U.S. should withdraw and have a treaty with the UK and new democracies of Eastern Europe. Does anyone anywhere actually believe mainland europe would support the U.S. should some conflict emerge overhere. Furthermore, it may be time for the U.S. to present an inflation adjusted bill for the cost of World War II in the european theater. Western Europe has been free riding on the U.S. defense department for more thanhalf a century. Let's face it,Sarkozy, Merkle and others consider us an opponent now not an ally. We need dismantle our rigid state depaartment and decide who is really an ally that we can count on. Remove all spending and defense commitments to those who are fair weather allies only.