I'm not sure Bush knew. After all, the US regard NATO as simply a rubber-stamp organisation providing a fig-leaf of notional independence to America's Foreign Legion. It probably never occured to him that a european leader could refuse him and make it stick.

And he wanted to go and stick it to Russia cos it amuses him to think he can push the old Bear around. He doesn't do it cos it's good politics; he's just a frat-boy bully, he does it cos he can get away with it.

It turns out to be bad politics for the US now. Germany stood up and said no. I doubt things will be quite the same again.

keep to the Fen Causeway