As of November, exchanges between the trans-Atlantic became a hot topic. The leaders of France, Germany and Britain had some very warm words for the United States, but for some European media, this rhetoric was over the top.

"We love America"

On November 6, Nicolas Sarkozy started his first two-day official visit to the United States. Before this trip, the new French President spent his summer vacation in the United States. Sarkozy, who some European media say is possibly the most pro-U.S. French President, addressed the U.S. Congress, visited George Washington's mansion at Mount Vernon, Virginia, and recalled the Franco-American friendship formed during America's War of Independence.

"We love America," Sarkozy said during his state visit, clearly expressing his wishes to improve Franco-American ties. "I want to reconquer America's heart."

In his speech to the U.S. Congress, Sarkozy said France was willing to strengthen its cooperation with the United States on issues such as anti-terrorism, the tense situations in Afghanistan and Iran, and the peaceful negotiations between Israel and Palestine. He especially stressed that the French army would not leave Afghanistan until the war was over. On the Iran issue, he repeated that France would not accept a nuclear weapon-armed nation. He also suggested that some French companies should withdraw their capital from Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appreciated Sarkozy's hard-line attitudes and hoped that France's stances on these issues would serve as a model for other European countries.

Sarkozy was not the only new European leader to visit the United States. Two days after he left, U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel and took her for a ride in his pick-up truck at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush also said in his unsophisticated cowboy way that in Texas, inviting someone to your home is an expression of warmth and respect. "That's how I feel about Chancellor Merkel," Bush said.

When she wrapped up her U.S. visit at a press conference, Merkel called Bush "dear George," and thanked him for inviting her and her husband to "a very beautiful part of this planet." She also allowed U.S. technicians to install video devices in her office in Berlin, so that she could contact the White House directly in the future. The two leaders will use the communications system to have regular discussions on issues like Iran, Afghanistan, climate change and trade.

Although British Prime Minister Gordon Brown didn't visit Bush in Crawford, he, too, has had warm words for the United States of late. In his first foreign policy speech on November 12, Brown surprised critics by saying he had "no truck with anti-Americanism." He reiterated that "America is still Britain's most important friend on the world stage," and that Britain's ties with other European countries were second to its relations with the United States. "It is good for Britain, for Europe and for the wider world that today France and Germany and the European Union are building stronger relationships with America."

Brown noted that the history of the 20th Century proved that when Europe and the United States kept their distance from each other, instability occurred; when they formed a partnership, the world became stronger. He said he believed that over the next years, Europe and the United States would have the best opportunities that they have had in recent eras to make historical progress together on dealing with global issues.

On the Iran nuclear issue, Brown took a harder stance than his predecessor by saying that if Iran continued to disregard the international community's concern about its uranium enrichment activities, Britain would prod other countries to stop investing in Iran's oil and natural gas industries as well as in financial areas. According to an Associated Press report, observers said that before Brown's speech, they never predicted he would uphold the British-American alliance and say that it would benefit the whole world; they had believed Brown would keep his distance from the United States.

Bush suddenly becomes attractive

In 2003, the Iraq War divided the United States and its traditional European allies, France and Germany. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld categorized anti-war countries, like France and Germany, as "old Europe." In the meantime, France and Germany publicly opposed the start of the Iraq War, because U.S.-led military actions were without UN authorization.

Four years later, after several big European countries changed leaders, the cold U.S-European relationship started to warm up again, then returned to normal. There are two explanations for this change.

The first explanation holds that the new leaders of France and Germany are "righties" with a pro-America bent. Their values are similar to Bush's conservative stance, so they are easier to arrive at an understanding with him. But this view is not convincing. Former French president Jacques Chirac himself was also considered a righty, but he still stood at the forefront of the European leaders who were anti-Bush.