TIME Europe: Theater Of War -- Oct. 7, 2002

Americans have caught up with Europe in criticizing Bush's Iraq policy, but his juggernaut still looks unstoppable


The historic bond of common cause, intensified by Sept. 11 — "We are all Americans now," Le Monde famously observed — has dissolved into incomprehension and distrust. Wars fought by democracies require the consent of the governed. The tussle between Bush and those who want to restrain him is now thoroughly transatlantic.

Yet it still feels like kabuki, a precooked debate moving to a preordained conclusion. It will take some months, but unless Saddam converts to pacifism or gets much better at concealing weapons, Bush will have his war, with sufficient support on both continents.