Turkije staat helemaal aan de kant van Amerika in de oorlog tegen het internationaal terrorisme en tegen Irak. Jazeker. Of wacht, eum, nee! helemaal verkeerd: geef ons eerst 32 miljard dollar en dan staan we aan de kant van Amerika. Principles for sale! Getcher principles!

After taking a hard look at the poker game being played by George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein, Turkey, in effect, told President Bush this week to ante up $32 billion if he wants Ankara to take a seat at the table. That’s serious money and the demand, which Washington is pondering, says a great deal about the trade-offs taking place beneath all the lofty arguments about going to war with Iraq. The business of lining up reluctant governments to provide bases and support for possible military action is not exactly an exercise in Wilsonian idealism. [International Herald Tribune]

Trouwens, die site van de Herald Tribune is echt wel proper.