A quote from The Washington Times, 30 April 2008

Lucinda Creighton, a spokeswoman for Ireland's largest opposition party, Fine Gael, says in a Web posting that "U.S. foreign policy has traditionally been opposed to EU integration."

"The U.S. supports the EU as an economic bloc but nothing more. The idea of a politically strong EU, acting as a check or counterbalance on the U.S. does not sit well with our trans-Atlantic friends," says the spokeswoman, a member of Ireland's Parliament. She also claims in the posting that the U.S. consistently opposes NATO expansion.

The Fine Gael statement targets two prominent Irish businessmen, who are funding a nationwide campaign for a "no" vote, claiming they represent "U.S. strategic interests."

"The businesses of both Ulick McEvaddy and Declan Ganley are heavily dependent on contracts from the State Department, the Pentagon and U.S. government agencies. I believe that these men are a lot less concerned about Irish sovereignty and the wording of the Lisbon treaty than they are about the potential hit to their own personal business interests," Ms. Creighton writes in the Web posting.

The businessmen lead a campaign group called Libertas, which is campaigning against the treaty's ratification. […] Fine Gael is the main opposition party in Ireland's legislature, and has been the traditional rival to the incumbent Mr. Ahern's Fianna Fail, with both parties conventionally depicted as "center-right." […] Fine Gael's anti-American statement might come as a surprise to some observers, but it could also be an attempt to test the water on any growth of disaffection with the U.S. in Ireland.