Froma Harrop: Lend your ears to Bill Clinton

KNOW WHAT THE Europeans need? They need Bill Clinton. The French and Dutch votes against the European Union constitution reflect a deep suspicion of political elites and their big plans. The workers fear being thrown on a cruise to the global economy, then sold up the river.

Clinton was a master at navigating between the demands of a modern economy and people's need for security. He is someone Europe's average Joes might trust.

Of course, Europeans must become more competitive. Their plush social benefits need revising. Employers must have more flexibility in hiring and firing people. And places like France should open the windows and let in some free-market breezes. But that doesn't mean that the French have to flood their market with low-wage workers from Eastern Europe and, as some would like, Turkey.

Clinton knew how to strike the right balance. As president, he supported freer trade and pushed for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He understood that government programs can provide the wrong incentives and endorsed welfare reform. But when the budget needed balancing, his tax increases were limited to the highest incomes.
(Providence Journal)