American conservatives aren't known for their love of Europe. In fact, Europe seems to be a frequent punching bag for conservatives who see it as some combination of socialist, godless, pacifist and decadent.

Which is why it's a little amusing to see Republicans repeatedly praising Europe over the past few days. The occasion? America's rising debt.

See, the European Union has rules for membership (though frequently violated by existing members) requiring countries have a public deficit below 3 percent of gross domestic product and a public debt of less than 60 percent of GDP.

Advertisement

With American deficits and debt both rising, Republicans are highlighting that 60 percent figure as a looming catastrophe and the 3 percent figure as a target.

Those figures have been cited frequently by South Dakota's own Sen. John Thune and Republican Sen. Judd Gregg in the floor speeches I've been seeing on C-SPAN waiting for a vote on Thune's TARP-ending amendment.

We'll see how far this newfound Europhile attitude lasts.