Bush’s Gateway to Europe

President Bush was smart to choose Spain as his gateway to Europe last week. The Spaniards appreciated the gesture, which they took as a sign that he gives Spain the priority in Europe that he gives Mexico in Latin America.

True, Bush mispronounced the name of Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, but not even that lapsus linguae could sour the mood in the first meeting between the two conservatives.

Aznar voiced his limited support for Bush’s missile defense shield proposal, urging critics to hear out the plan. “It has not been demonstrated anywhere ... that [the] defensive initiative is something that cannot lead to greater and better security,” said Aznar.

Not all Spanish voices were as friendly as the prime minister’s. Trade unionists, anti-globalists and anti-death penalty activists organized protests. The largest demonstration drew perhaps 3,000 people to the gates of the U.S. Embassy in Madrid.

Yet in La Moncloa, the palace where Bush and the prime minister met, the mood was upbeat. Aznar asked Bush to help Spain in its fight against the Basque terrorist organization ETA, and Bush promised him the “complete collaboration” of U.S. security services. Both leaders also agreed they will try to wrap up, by the end of the year, talks to renew the agreement that allows the U.S. to operate two military bases in Spain.

There are still divisive issues, most notably the death penalty, which Spain abolished in 1978 as a break with its dictatorial past. The two nations also disagree over the Helms-Burton law, which would penalize Spanish businesses that have invested in Cuba in the face of a U.S. economic blockade of the island. Overall, however, Bush’s visit showed the relationship between Spain and the United States to be good, with a chance to get even better. That’s good for both countries.