President Bush yesterday announced plans to redeploy or bring home about 70,000 U.S. troops now stationed in Asia and Europe. Most of these brave souls will come home to the U.S. It is about time. We don’t need to be paying to keep 75,603 troops in Germany. The Germans are already getting nervous. Other western Europeans are probably getting nervous, too. Let them get nervous. According to the BBC:

The move is expected to have the greatest impact in Germany, where the announcement sparked concerns.

Details of the plan are still being worked out.

But Pentagon officials say two heavy army divisions will be withdrawn from Germany - which is host to the biggest American overseas contingent outside Iraq.

About half of the hundreds of US installations in Europe will be cut or closed, the officials say.

Some of the U.S. troops will be moved to Eastern Europe. Fine by me. The Eastern Europeans (Poland, Lithuania, etc.) have backed us in Iraq. U.S. troops there will be closer to the Islamist hot spots of south and central Asia. I'd rather see our troops protecting our friends than to be protecting the up-and-coming Islamist republics of Germany and France.

The Europeans need to fend for themselves. Americans have died by the thousands to save Europe in two world wars. U.S. taxpayers pumped $13.3 billion into Europe after WWII, which would translate into about $200 billion in today’s dollars. The Euros have had it too good for too long.

Not only did our mothers and fathers die fighting to save Europe’s ass twice, then we defended them from the Soviet threat for 50 years. Sure, trade has been good with the continent since WWII, but lately the Euros have hung us out to dry politically. A German minister compared President Bush to Hitler in 2002. Remember how France benefited by selling arms to Saddam Hussein? And how France made $3.7 billion off the UN's "oil-for-food" program for Iraq? Despite Yasser Arafat's well-known involvement in terrorism, European dignitaries like EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana continue to maintain contacts with King Terror-Master Arafat.

What thanks the U.S. has gotten for its efforts. Why should we be making the Germans feel more secure? Why should we be pumping money into their economy through our troops’ presence? They and much of the rest of “old” Europe have gotten too soft living under the umbrella of American protection. Time for them to grow up and get a real life. Time to bring the troops home.