Perhaps the nations of Europe believe they should 'keep tight hold of nurse, for fear of finding something worse'. However given that the something worse dropped dead from a vodka overdose and nurse is working her way through the crate he left behind, independence day may be approaching.
I agree with the comment up thread, that European leaders are waiting to see if they will get a more reasonable US President after Bush and will try to avoid a major breach before then.
With the collapse of the USSR, there were certainly open choices for Europe. They have chosen not only to keep NATO alive but to radically expand its membership and its scope of operations. I believe that there is a broad failure to face up to the consequences of that choice.
