French turn on Le Worm

The Sun (U.K.) ^ | 04/11/03 | DAVID WOODING

[Pokey78]

Hero ... Mr Blair hailed by the French

TONY BLAIR was hailed a hero for his war leadership yesterday by the French.

Top newspapers in Paris made an astonishing U-turn and saluted his “determination and courage.”

After months of anti-war protests, they admitted their president Jacques Chirac was WRONG to oppose the action.

The humiliating rebuff for the president came as Mr Blair turned down an invite to talks with the war-wobbler in Russia today.

French politicians fear Chirac — dubbed “Le Worm” — could even be toppled after his bad call over the war. They say he faces an uphill struggle to put their country back on the world map.

MP Jacques Barrot, leader of the president’s ruling UMP party, said: “He must face up to the fact that the courage of British and American forces has ended Saddam Hussein’s regime.”

While French commentators turned on their leader, they also heaped praise on Britain and Mr Blair.

Big-selling weekly mag Paris Match claimed the victory elevated the PM to the rank of world statesman.

It wrote: “Mr Blair is one of the few leaders who can emerge from this affair with his head held high. He is one of the rare leaders who rose above petty national politics and had the courage to defy public opinion for what he believed in.

“And he did it with great determination and panache. Mr Blair is not Bush’s poodle. He is his guide-dog.”

Respected daily Le Figaro joined the tributes by describing the ousting of Saddam as a “historic victory.” It wrote: “In just three weeks, the American strategy has been proved to have worked. A dictator was removed yesterday, and we can no longer question the fact that George Bush was right.”

Le Parisien newspaper admitted the Allied success in Iraq had left France “embarrassed.”

French daily Liberation warned Chirac now faces an “uphill struggle” to stop France being marginalised in world affairs.

It wrote: “Chirac was the champion of the peaceful disarming of Iraq. But the smiles on the faces of the Iraqi people speak for themselves. Things won’t be easy for Chirac now.”

To add to the French leader’s woes, Mr Blair yesterday snubbed an invitation to a summit in St Petersburg with Chirac, German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Spineless ... Chirac

The PM was clearly unwilling to share a platform with three of the biggest opponents to the action which liberated 23million Iraqis.

Shameless Chirac now wants the UN to have a central role in rebuilding post-war Iraq. He made a second plea in a phone call to Mr Blair on Wednesday.

Chirac’s foreign minister Dominique de Villepin, who refused to say who he wanted to win the war, also made an about-turn.

He said: “With the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein, it is a dark page that is turned and we are delighted.”

[Torie]

You know what Chirac's real problem is? I will tell you. He is too mouthy.

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[bluecollarman]

Yes...but he is French.

[Maedhros]

[Scothia]

Chirac will find out that Blair and Bush have the memory of les elephants.

[Torie]

Are you a Babar fan too?

[ex-Texan]

*BUMP* !

[Sunsong]

Blair is a statesman and we are lucky to have him on our side. France, Germany, Russia and Canada must pay for their anti-American hubris and unconscionable support of Saddam Hussein.

[texastoo]

Let us not forget MEXICO. They were against us also. Now Mexico is the president of the UN security council.

[Stopislamnow]

Before ya read further, I agree Blair has been outstanding and a true ally and the British are true friends. But....

I think, that Blair, saw which way the wind was blowing in regards to the EU.

Germany and France were fixing to slam dunk Britian when it came to EU leadership. Freezing out Britian from having a really large role in the EU leadership. France and Germany really wanted to be the centerpieces and to really run the show, and they were having some success.

The UN debacle and the Iraq war put that little dog and pony show on the backburner for a while. And Germany and France are sitting around looking pretty fkkn stupid now. Thier economies are in the crapper, thier unemployment is rising, and they are about to lose billions in Iraq along with alot of oil that would have been basically free to them for supporting Saddam.

England now has alot of ammo to fire at the weasels. And has moral high ground and alot of support from the EU countries nd applicants that want in the EU. Which is GOOD, cuz they can shut down Chirac and Schroeders bid to run the EU.

Again, let me say I appreciate Britain's support and Blair's backing. And I KNOW they would have helped anyway, because they are our allies, real allies. And Blair has stones for standing up to public sentiment and his parties weasels. I can't stress this ENOUGH, I'm thankful for thier support.

But never forget, that Blair and Clinton were the bestest buds, and after all is said and done, he's still a leftist.

[thatdewd]

It's going to be very interesting once we start examining who sold what to Saddam in direct violation of UN sanctions. Hopefully our State Dept. sellouts won't prevent us from making a big stink about this at the UN. A well deserved UN Resolution condemning France for violating those sanctions should finish Chirac and his pets off, and may open the doors of French politics to some saner people.

[Sunsong]

Oh, I agree, Blair is still a leftist -- but I am grateful for his support and I believe it is genuine.

Thanks for your post.

[Sunsong]

Yeah, I agree -- Mexico blew it. France, Germany, Canada, Mexico and Syria -- may they all feel the sting of American rath!

[gcruse]

When the first missiles struck Saddam's quarters at the outbreak of the war, Chirac and his cohorts had jumped the shark.

[JasonC]

Nice try frogs. But no, it is too late. You will not rehabilitate yourselves just by cuddling up to Blair, and throwing over a Gaullist your socialist affinities never really agreed with anyway.

[laz17]

“With the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein, it is a dark page that is turned and we are delighted.”

What utterly shameless crooks Chirac and de Villepin are. They would have kept Saddam in power for many more years, despite the oppression of the Iraqi people and the threat to world safety posed by WMD, just so they could continue their sweetheart deals with him. It made absolutely no difference to them that 25 million people were being victimized and brutalized, or that WMD could be delivered to terrorists and used against any city anywhere on the planet. They have absolutely no honor, morals, or principles. And they have the audacity to say now that they're thrilled Saddam is gone. If Saddam were caught alive and tried for crimes against humanity, Chirac should be tried along with him, as well as Schroeder and Annan.

[fuzzy122]

ROFLOL!

MEGA-

Stay Strong
Fuzzy

[The Great Satan]

This middle-aged AWM is pleased to find his saloon bar prejudices confirmed at every turn: yanks, brits, aussies reliable, honest as the day is long -- krauts & frogs, up to no good, rum dum, not to be trusted.

[MeekMom]

Hysterical pic!

Here's another loser who needs to be toppled, decapitated and his head rode upon through the streets of Iraq...or US, for that matter. Maybe his decapitated head could go on a world tour...you know, like the appreciation of fine art that Museums share?