Sometimes a friend needs to hear the truth, even or perhaps especially if it hurts. Europe is a case in point. Vice President JD Vance delivered the painful truth at the Munich Security Conference, and the fact that it made his German hosts literally cry underscores both the veracity of his message and the state of denial to which our trans-Atlantic friends have sunk.

“This conference started as a trans-Atlantic conference,” Chairman Christoph Heusgen said at the event’s closing. “After the speech of Vice President Vance on Friday, we have to fear that our common value base is not that common anymore.” He then burst into tears.