In a recent commentary, I had this to say about this revival of the old Franco-German alliance: "Suddenly, the pot is beginning to smell to me. I think something's up here"

Well, it looks like I'm not the only one smelling something. According to a report in the Financial Times, it appears that US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, is suspecting something sour may be brewing in this Franco-German alliance too (Read about it here).

I'm beginning to wonder if certain people in Washington are finally catching on to what's really going on in the European Union. If you recall, Rumsfeld had already outraged many European leaders by referring to this revived Franco-German alliance as "old Europe."

Now it's being reported that it's not really old Europe that Rumsfeld is worried about, it's new Europe -- it's where this Franco-German alliance may be taking the EU.

You see, according to other reports, France and Germany want their alliance with each other to go a few steps beyond their alliance with the other EU member states. They want to share deeper in things like foreign policy, defense, taxation and budget policy.

But, what really caused the EU pot to start smelling was when these two nations invited other "like-minded" nations to join them.  In other words, France and Germany actually want to establish their own alliance with-in the EU alliance. 

Here's the problem: Germany has lately broken away from her traditional support for US foreign policy and has, in fact, become anti-American. And France has always resented the US dominance in Europe because France has always wanted to a head and not a tail.

As I said before, making matters worse for US interests in Europe is France and Germany already share a common foreign policy identity as members of the EU's new, 10-nation military alliance. Are these the other like-minded nations France and Germany are inviting to join in with them in their alliance with-in the EU alliance? 

Yes, the EU pot is beginning to smell to me. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who is noticing it anymore. It looks like Washington is beginning to smell it too.

It's about time!