What do you have to do to become the secretary general of NATO these days?

Apologize to the Islamic world for exercising your right to freedom of expression.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Denmark’s leader, was one of the few European politicians who refused to give in to pressure from fundamentalists in the Middle East when a Danish newspaper published the now infamous “Mohammed cartoons.” His attitude was welcomed by may Europeans, especially by conservatives. He was quickly promoted to “hero of the freedom of speech,” and became one of the old continent’s most popular politicians.

But then something changed. Rasmussen set his eyes upon NATO. He wanted to become the organization’s next secretary general. An ambitious man, Rasmussen proved willing to be whatever it takes to accomplish his goals.

One of those ‘things’: apologizing to the “Islamic world” for the cartoons.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip does not like Rasmussen very much. So when the latter appeared to be the man most likely succeed secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the former put up a fight. Turkey would not agree to let Rasmussen accomplish his goal, Erdogan said, unless Turkey got something in return and unless Rasmussen would apologize to “the Islamic world.’

Rasmussen agreed. Dutch magazine Elsevier reports he will do so tomorrow, in Istanbul.

What a disgrace.

The “Islamic world” should apologize to the rest of us for the violence and murders that followed the publication of the dreaded cartoons of blasphemy. But we’ve arrived in the brave new world of Hopenchange, in which (relatively) sane people apologize for “provoking” the horrible behavior of others, and grovel before violent thugs and religious extremists.