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| Europe |
| Chirac the hero as nation unites |
| 2003-04-02 |
| The Gulf conflict split Europe and soured many countries' relations with the US. What is the mood now? From Al-Guardian. Surprise, surprise... Opinion polls in France show that approval for Jacques Chirac's anti-war policy have reached 90%, the highest recorded rating for any government programme since surveys started here in 1938. The rising support, which has united rival political parties and strengthened links between Christians and Muslims, follows the president's public commitment to persuading Britain and the US to accept United Nations administration for postwar Iraq. Persuading? Try begging. Paris has shrugged off continued acrimony towards France in America and Britain, which has included threats of a US boycott of French goods and articles in the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph hinting that the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, implicitly supported an Iraqi victory during his visit to London. That there has been no review of the French line became clear when Mr de Villepin repeated almost word for word a statement made by Mr Chirac a week ago implying a readiness for a showdown over the postwar issue in the UN - a reflection of confidence in the rightwing president's popularity at home. OOOhhhhh, a "showdown" at the UN! He'll show zose Americains! But, after almost daily street demonstrations in the president's favour, signs of internal friction have arisen. The only outspoken voices against France's refusal to join the coalition have come from the Jewish community, where the philosopher André Glucksmann and the popular actor Roger Hanin have led opposition to the government line at a time when the national human rights commission, CNCDH, reported "an explosion of anti-semitic acts" linked to Middle East conflicts. The report said violent anti-semitism aimed at France's 600,000 Jews had risen by 60% last year and the trend was continuing. Think this might have something to do with what follows? At the same time there has been a swing in support for Mr Chirac from the country's 5 million Muslims who are now at the forefront of marches. Outside a rundown highrise block in the suburb of Drancy, Mohamed Abdoulaye, 18, surrounded by a group of friends, pointed to the array of satellite dishes on balconies picking up Arab TV stations. "Lots of those have appeared in the last few days," he said. "They're all tuned to al-Jazeera and other Arab stations. If we weren't convinced that Chirac was right, we certainly get the message from Arab TV which treats him like a hero." Commenting on attacks on some American businesses, he said violence was discouraged but "we are anti-American here and refuse to buy anything from the US." ...he said, while smoking a Marlboro, which he then stomped out with his Nike sneaker. Generally speaking, British troops get a better press in the French media than their American allies. On the purely military aspect, analysts have been pessimistic, emphasising the strength of Iraqi resistance and implying that France was well out of a war that was badly planned, a view shared by Admiral Jacques Lanxade, a former defence chief. "There has been a real patriotic resurgence in Iraq which has drawn in the traditional enemies of Saddam Hussein," he said."The American command does not have enough troops to hold the country. Perhaps General Tommy Franks does not have the freedom of action he needs. The climate between Franks and Rumsfeld is not what it should be." HAHAHAHAHA! The French offer military advice..."Vere is ze plan for ze surrender ceremony..." But the problems facing the Anglo-American advance had the sympathy of officers at the Ecole Militaire in the Invalides. "It upsets me that the advance appears to have bogged down," a captain who fought in the first Gulf war said. "The trend of events is very worrying, particularly as Saddam has been referring to Stalingrad. I'm glad the French army is not involved, but don't count on us to gloat over coalition setbacks." When will they be renaming it "Frogistan"? |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #13 France has nukes and nuclear power plants. Combine with Belgium's nuclear re-processing plant, and there's REAL trouble ahead. What the French have or don't have, whether they become an Islamic 'republic' or not, none of that matters: they will STILL be French, and will spend more of their time and energy fighting among themselves than they ever do looking outside their country. Why else do you think France is rated just below the bottom of the barrel now? |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-02 22:36:47 |
| #12 True German Ally: Steve, France has the nukes, Germany hasn't. I guess we'll stay clear, sorry. People, let's get serious: France has nukes and nuclear power plants. Combine with Belgium's nuclear re-processing plant, and there's REAL trouble ahead. Here we are in Iraq, trying to stop a madman from building WMD, and here's a nuclear power BECOMING an Islamic state! Will Frogistan be as cautious as Pakistan? |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-02 20:02:25 |
| #11 The French are offering us military advice? Did I read THAT right? Isn't that like Sweden telling Panama how to grow bananas? |
| Posted by: Former Russian Major 2003-04-02 19:29:56 |
| #10 5 million muslims in a country that already shuns soap like the plague, it must smell great in france....By the way i think france even with nukes can be taken out by six feisty American grandmothers waving viscious rolling pins... |
| Posted by: Wills 2003-04-02 17:32:28 |
| #9 Steve, France has the nukes, Germany hasn't. I guess we'll stay clear, sorry. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 17:12:40 |
| #8 Celissa---I know the feeling, but watch the hate fest. It's bad Karma for oneself, so to speak. France will reap what she sows, and we will move on. We must keep the high ground here. My feeling is to cut them off and go on our merry way, sans France. They can clean out the messkit that they shit in, this time. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-02 13:50:11 |
| #7 MEMO TO GERMANY: Turn left at Belgium, you know what to do next. Third times the charm, all will be forgiven. We'll sit this one out, thanks. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-04-02 13:16:24 |
| #6 The only consolation I derive from this whole shameful mess, is the fact that in a few years, France will be under Shir'a laws, flattened under the thumb of the Islamonazis who have taken root in the stinking soil of that boil on the ass of humanity. The destruction of the French nation cannot come quickly enough for me. After the disgraceful way these sub-human pieces of trash have defiled the graves of honorable Americans, I can only hope that bin Laden survives long enough to nuke Paris and give every man, woman and child of the cesspool called France burning nuclear death or radiation poisoning. Hate does not begin to encompass the feelings I have for these inhuman creatures. May they all rot in hell. |
| Posted by: Celissa 2003-04-02 12:52:52 |
| #5 At this point, I'm ticked off enough to support really fouling their soil. Plowing the earth with salt isn't really appropriate. Better to plow it with Plutonium. Let's encourage some genetic diversity here. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-04-02 11:31:13 |
| #4 According to USS Clueless, one of the slogans spray-painted across a memorial, "Deterrez vos decehts, ils souillent notre sol.", translates out to: Dig up your garbage, it is fouling our soil. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-04-02 10:47:49 |
| #3 I know that it is spur-of-the-moment emotion, but after the desecration of Allied graves in France, I felt like saying, let the Yanks and Brits dig them up and bring them home. Scooter is right, though, we Yanks have long memories. Mr. Chiraq, you do not yet realize the depth of the damage you have done and will do to YOUR country. We will learn our lesson and go on to do great things--without you. I say, FOAD! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-02 10:06:26 |
| #2 This American has a long memory, and France is near the top of my shit list. F--- those dirty nazi-loving surrender monkeys. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2003-04-02 09:36:24 |
| #1 the president's public commitment to persuading Britain and the US to accept United Nations administration for postwar Iraq. What happened? Didn't they say we would be forced to come crawling back to the UN when the conflict was over? Now they're clearly pleading with us to come back to the UN after the conflict is over? |
| Posted by: g wiz 2003-04-02 08:29:13 |