As an indication of what the rest of the world thought was important about the SOTU speech, here’s the BBC’s headline: “Bush urges end to oil addiction.” That one, silly, inaccurate metaphor has attracted more press around the world than anything about Iraq, Iran, cloning, spending cuts or globalization. Le Monde called it his “principal announcement” and even translated the phrase as saying oil is like a drug to America. The lesson for Europe is that America will cave on something fundamental to its economy if you harp on about it long enough.
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About the Author
Iain Murray is vice president for strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
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