Shooting French in a Barrel

Iraq Forum

Tripe a la Mode

By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, March 12, 2004

Look. I know it is shooting French in a barrel. But when yet another insufferable penseur -- first Chirac, then de Villepin, now the editor of Le Monde -- starts lecturing Americans on how they ought to conduct themselves in the world, the rules of decorum are suspended.

In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Jean-Marie Colombani, who wrote the famous Sept. 12, 2001, Le Monde editorial titled "We Are All American," gives us the usual more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger lament about America's sins: We loved you on Sept. 11. We were all with you in Afghanistan. But, oh, what have you done in Iraq?

This requires some parsing. We loved you on Sept. 11 means: We like Americans when they are victims, on their knees and bleeding. We just don't like it when they get off the floor -- without checking with us first.

Colombani glories in Europe's post-Sept. 11 "solidarity" with America: "Let us remember here the involvement of French and German soldiers, among other European nationalities, in the operations launched in Afghanistan to . . . free the Afghans."

Come again? The French arrived in Mazar-e Sharif after it fell, or as military analyst Jay Leno put it, "to serve as advisers to the Taliban on how to surrender properly." Afghanistan was liberated by America acting practically unilaterally, with an even smaller coalition than it had in Iraq -- Britain and Australia, with the rest of the world holding America's coat.

But then came Iraq. "The problem was not so much the war itself, but the fact that it was launched without U.N. approval," Colombani explains.

Rubbish. The Kosovo war was launched without U.N. approval and France joined it. Only two wars have ever been launched with U.N. approval: the Korean War (an accident of the Soviets having walked out of the Security Council on another matter) and the Persian Gulf War.

It is touching to hear such legalistic objections to deposing a man who has killed more Muslims than any person on Earth -- particularly when the objection is offered from a pose of superior international morality from a country whose commandos once blew up a Greenpeace ship monitoring French nuclear tests in the South Pacific.

Moreover, Colombani complains, George Bush "lied about the weapons of mass destruction -- the official pretext for the war -- as now publicly established by recent investigations." More rubbish. The investigations have established that the weapons have not been found and may not exist. The claim that the president knew so at the time, and lied about it as a "pretext" for war, is a malicious falsehood.

There is more. Colombani grieves that the Bush administration has taken "axes" to the two great pillars of Western success following World War II: containment and free trade.

Colombani decries the fact that containment has given way to preemptive war. But containment was designed for the Soviet Union, which died 10 years before Bush even took office. Only a fool would advocate containment against the new threat that has risen in its place: terrorists and terrorist states acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

When dealing with undeterrables (like al Qaeda) or undetectables (like an Iraq or an Iran passing WMDs to terrorists) there is no such thing as containment. There is no deterrence, no address for the retaliation. There are two options: do nothing and wait for the next attack, or get them before they acquire the capacity to get you. That is called preemption.

Warming to the ax theme, Colombani decries the Bush administration's "return of protectionism." This (plus preemption) "is why John Kerry is, a priori, perceived with so much sympathy" in Europe.

Good grief. Only an ignoramus oblivious to what is happening in American politics could prefer Kerry over Bush on grounds of free trade. Has no one told Colombani that the Democrats have made protectionism -- attacking everything from NAFTA to the World Trade Organization -- a theme of this campaign, radically reversing the Clinton policies of the 1990s?

It is not John Kerry's fault that he is endorsed by a Frenchman. (Or by Kim Jong Il of North Korea, whose media have been running some of Kerry's speeches verbatim!) But Kerry has made the major -- indeed, only discernible -- theme of his foreign policy "rejoining the community of nations" and being liked abroad again.

Which is why he does not just court foreign support, he boasts about it. "I've met foreign leaders, who can't go out and say this publicly," he told a Hollywood, Fla., fundraiser, "but boy they look at you and say, 'You gotta win this one, you gotta beat this guy.'"

For the world. For France.

More rubbish from Charles Krauthammer. It turns out it was Pakistan that was selling WMD secrets all over the place? Don't remember anyone suggesting we do something about this dictatorshiop - shouldn't we be democracising pakistan just in case they do it again? And Russian or China, now they've got plenty of WMD. Anyone want to pre-empt them? No of course not, we pre-empt where it will suits our best interests and were the country has no military to defend itself. It really is amazing how this US administration invaded probably the ONLY country in the world that didn't have WMD! Some achievement when the whole point of this exercise was to stop the proliferation of the stuff

The USA must thank God for dictatorships because if this politcal entity did not exist it would mean that the US would not have any real friends. I'm talking about Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Pakistan, Yemen, Oman etc. Non of which democratically elected it's heads of state. Musharaf (Pakistan's leader usurped power following a political coup), but hey, that's fine so long as the new leader is pro-American.

The upshot is, the US practises selective democracy, walking around with one eye closed to the habits of the dictators.

Just for the record, for the likes of Curley Joke, Britain does not democratically elect its head of state (Queen Elizabeth 2nd). What does that make us here in Britainshire? Think about it.

Preston Ever-so Likely

You clowns are the finest entertainment.

This Krauthammer is a typical representative of the desilusional extreme-right wing community in the US. As for the French "teaching to the Talibans how to surrender properly", it is in the straight continuity of the usual French bashing in fashion within this community of great thinkers. Taking facts into account, looking more thoroughly in historical records, ... why bother ? Anyway, they are right and the only righteous people on the scene.
It is not surprising then to read such quotes relayed by people like Curley Joe. What a joke.

A little defensive, Frenchie? You can dish it out but can't take it? This is only the type of thing that you Europists have been dishing out against the U.S. for YEARS. How's it feel???

And by the way, Krauthammer has got it right on the money.

A little defensive, Frenchie? You can dish it out but can't take it? This is only the type of thing that you Europists have been dishing out against the U.S. for YEARS. How's it feel???

And by the way, Krauthammer has got it right on the money.

Defensive - this would please you, isn't it ? No - on the contrary, you should keep posting this kind of crap, thus proving even more your short mindness - if needed - to the majority of the people.

JY French and H@ts,

I really wouldn't bother dialoguing with Curley Joke. You are wasting your time. There is nothing to gain from communicating with the dolt, except learning that he is one of those despicable, ignorant Americans who the world has learned to despise. He's probably only about 12 years old, with no friends and a fat stomach (too much Coke and Big Macs), so we can forgive his doltishness. He's the apotheosis of American ignorance, who has only one source - Charles something or other, who's sounds as though he's just stepped out of a Ku Klux Klan meeting.

Have a laughtastic day, fellas

Preston Likely

I guess I'm more french than I thought:

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg....ors_1786_871192

just having fun guys, don't slaughter me with hate posts...

Another:

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg....rs_1786_5066170

Is that an eagle?

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg....rs_1786_5415821

Do you find yourself saying this, Preston?

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg....rs_1786_6409795

I'm glad I live in America, where dreams can actually come true, and the people who live here generally believe it.

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg....tivators_1786_0

This one is definately a cheap shot. Again, I'm just having fun with these...

http://us.st5.yimg.com/store4.yimg....rs_1786_3146153

Ahoy Sayzak,

Perhaps you can teach Curley Joe how to show a little more humour in his posts. I mean, let's face it, geezer, we all need to laugh loudly at ourselves more often. It is good psychology.

Preston.

PS I'm glad I live in the world, where reality can come true.

I'm glad I live in reality, and not in a cartoon... Besides that, what does "geezer" mean in your country?

lmao - despair.com rocks - we've though about purchasing some for work XD

Sayzak,

Geezer means, dude, fella etc. It's generally used by Cockneys (people of a certain area in London - have you heard of Cockneys? Cockney rhyming slang? Eg. Dog and bone, telephone, plates of meat, feet, China plates, mates. If you've ever seen the film "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, you'll know what I mean). If your mates have got it have a butchers (butchers hook, look).

Preston