Interesting, the author takes a dig at Free Republic and never backs it up.
It's no secret that we've been working overtime to rake the Vichies over the coals here on FR...
I beg to differ. First, I would not necessarily categorize his statement as a shot at Free Republic, but simply as an observation that the nation is roundly and frequently ridiculed on the message boards. From even a passing glance at threads on France, his assessment is absoultely correct.
Peirce then does exactly what you say he failed to do. He gave example after example of why the French, in particular, the French military should not be ridiculed.