From Anne Penketh, the Hill:  It’s open season on the Europeans at the moment. Following the lead of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who delivered a stiff warning to NATO the other day, everyone has been piling on. The latest was an article in The Washington Post by Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, under the provocative headline “Europe no longer matters.”

Nothing like kicking a man when he’s down. It must be said, the Europeans are an easy target. The other day in Washington, I heard Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) pointing out that the U.S. was subsidizing European social programs through its predominant financial contribution to NATO, as European military budgets declined. But here’s what I’m hearing in Europe at the moment: that America is weak. . . .

So how about a little sympathy, folks? This Europe-bashing might provide a little psychological comfort, but a trans-Atlantic blame game is not going to do any of us any good. Who stands to benefit most from the current crisis? The Chinese, of course.

Image: acus%206%2015%2011%20USA%20and%20EU.jpg