Never mind.
Posted on 07/06/2004 11:51:19 AM PDT by presidio9
France-bashing is considered good politics in America. Bush-bashing is seen as good politics in France. And for the moment, both countries are happily taking pot shots at each other.
Cheap shots might be a better description.
President Jacques Chirac took aim at President Bush last week and accused him of "going too far" by urging the European Union to begin membership negotiations with Turkey as soon as possible.
The odd thing is that Chirac also believes Turkey should be admitted to the European Union. He just didn't like Bush telling him so. "It's a bit as if I explained to the United States how it should conduct its relations with Mexico," snapped Chirac." Right in the face.
President Bush, for his part, aimed for the solar plexus when he cozied up with his friend British Prime Minister Tony Blair to give him advance notice that the U.S. was returning sovereignty to Iraq two days earlier than scheduled.
Bush stole the spotlight when he broke the news at a NATO summit. That caught the other NATO governments by surprise, especially France. Chirac's feathers were very ruffled when he grumbled that "the transfer of sovereignty is a necessary step towards resolving the crisis, but certainly not enough."
The temperature between the United States and France has dropped to the point where Chirac now says, "We are friends (of the United States), we are allies. We are not servants."
So it goes. And it is likely to continue until at least the November election.
You could dismiss it as empty posturing, except that in the meantime, some urgent international problems are likely to remain unresolved. Like the proposal to send more NATO peacekeeping troops to Afghanistan, to stabilize the country prior to its September elections. Chirac has vetoed that one, despite American urging and pathetic pleas from Afghan interim President Hamid Karzai.
A French diplomat suggested there are better uses for the new NATO Rapid Reaction Force, which is largely manned by French troops: "When you have a Formula One car in the garage," he said, "you are not going to risk bashing it up in the mountains of Afghan."
Chirac has also vetoed American requests for NATO help in training new Afghan security forces. He insists any help provided cannot be done under the NATO flag, and not on Iraqi territory.
Finally, he also helped gut the Bush administrations big plan to promote democracy in the "Greater Middle East."
President Chirac is not only playing to his own domestic opinion. He has allies in Europe. The German and Spanish governments also have deep reservations about Iraq. But Chirac clearly leads the pack as the spokesman for "Old Europe."
The bottom line is that France and Old Europe don't want to do anything that may help President Bush win re-election.
They know that right now, Mr. Bush is in a weak position, and vulnerable to charges by Senator Kerry that he weakened America by not only failing to win NATO support for the war, but also for the essential postwar task of stabilizing Iraq. The President has been forced to back down on several key American demands, including the issue of whether American troops can be tried in the International Court of Justice.
So you can expect more Bush-bashing from Europe.
The problem for Chirac is that if Bush does win, France will have to deal with an American president who has a much stronger position, and a long memory.
By the title, you'd think Chirac is gay.
I would never stoop to taking cheap shots at Chirac or at France. I wouldn't want to see them raise a white flag...
Did the Belly Girl picture get automatically posted with this article by weird coincidence, or did you manually and intentionally use that one?
Never mind.
Chirac thinks he's the king of Europe. You may recall his threats to prospective EU members when they backed our war in Iraq.
Just out of curiosity, what has France done for us since it gave us the Statue of Liberty? It has been on the opposite side we were on ever since, even during WWII.
That's what it all comes down to. These jackasses, like our domestic enemies the Dems, are more concerned with their blind hatred of Bush than their own security. They don't care how many more 9/11s take place, they don't care what devices terror groups get their hands on and use -- they just don't care. They can't even see past their own pathological hatred to care. For them, it's really about nothing more than beating Bush. Like the economy is to Dems, the WoT is just an election issue. That people cannot comprehend the very real and horrific dangers being faced, all because "they" lost an election... Truly frightening.
"What really irritates me is the real French problems (rampant socialism, Islamic terrorists) are rarely mentioned."
That sounds amazingly similar to the 8 years of the Clinton illusion. We had repeated declarations of war from Bin Laden, yet we seldom heard a peep. We had rampant illegal immigration but it was hardly mentioned in most news.
I really cannot wait till December 1. That is the day the lawsuits from the Dems gets thrown out of court. Figure they will be suing in any state where Bush won by more than five percentage points or ten thousand votes.
Once this is over, Bush is going to update his s@&t list and begin exacting his pound of flesh.
Figure Powell is out as SecState. Also heads of carious agencies and their staff are gonners. Then states where the Senate is a bit too liberal (Michigan) will start to see reduced funding for thier slice of pork. Once we take care of some of the "Domestic" problems we have, expect to see Bush ask Shroeder, Putin and Chirac to come to Camp David for a looooooong weekend.
At that time Bush will lay out all the money the US contributes to their economy and how it will be used in other places like attacking Iran and Syria. They will be offered the opportunity to support it or lose it.
Just a guess....
Chirac now says, "We are friends (of the United States), we are allies.
A French diplomat suggested there are better uses for the new NATO Rapid Reaction Force, which is largely manned by French troops: "When you have a Formula One car in the garage," he said, "you are not going to risk bashing it up in the mountains of Afghan."
Fenton fails to mention that Chirac's job approval his party's ratings are much lower than Bush's. Chirac has a major political problem domestically as does Schroeder in Germany. All is not well in Old Europe.
President Jacques Chirac took aim at President Bush last week and accused him of "going too far" by urging the European Union to begin membership negotiations with Turkey as soon as possible. The odd thing is that Chirac also believes Turkey should be admitted to the European Union. He just didn't like Bush telling him so. "It's a bit as if I explained to the United States how it should conduct its relations with Mexico," snapped Chirac.Beg to differ, Jacques:
France blunts German move on Turkish entryThe deep divisions in Europe over admitting Turkey to the EU were thrown into sharp relief last night when it became clear that the German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, had failed in a bold attempt to cajole France's president, Jacques Chirac, into backing early entry... Sources close to the talks, however, said the Franco-German proposal was for a meeting of EU states at the end of 2004 -and then only to discuss Turkey's progress towards achieving the membership criteria. The new government in Ankara, which wants the EU to set a firm date for the start of accession talks, would regard such an outcome as disappointing, if not downright humiliating... Michael Glos, a leading Christian Democrat, told MPs that "Turkey is neither economically nor politically ripe for entry into the European Union". He said an expansion of the EU beyond the Bosphorus would "destroy the European project".
by John Hooper in Berlin
Ian Traynor in Ljubljana
I'll be looking forward to it!
You're right. Not only do they not see the writing on the wall, they can't find the wall.
You mean, Chirac isn't? =)
France has missed it chance to sit quiet...
btw. If you are going on a trip, go to Poland, Hungary, UK, Lithuania, Estonia etc. F.. France. Personally I'm carefull what I'm buying ;)
Yup.
I think it's petty when I have revenge fantasies about thwarting France publicly and on a global scale.
But then, I figure if I have to be petty, at least it'sover a worthwhile issue.
I've lived in Turkey and was always treated hospitably, but the country is under continual stress between secular Kemalism supported by the army, and the strong Islamic beliefs of the masses. The present Turkish government bases its strength on Islamism and has tried to marginalize the Kemalist army, while making appropriate noises that would please the EU.
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