I was torn between using the headline of this article or substituting my own, which would’ve been “French Press Begs for GOP Reach-Around.”
More than a year after falling out with the United States over the Iraq war, France is still a prime target for the rage of Republicans, who are not showing much amour for the longtime US ally.
Democrat John Kerry may be enemy number one but France is a close number two at the chest-thumping Republican national convention, where the word Paris is code for weakness, indecision and international cooperation.
“Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations,” Senator Zell Miller said in a thundering address to the party faithful on Wednesday.
“Kerry would let Paris decide when America needs defending. I want Bush to decide,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
As usual, the Frenchies don’t get it. The Republicans know who the enemies are — radical Islamic terrorists. Kerry is a political opponent and France is an obstacle, a target of deserved ridicule doing all it can to hamstring our efforts while doing nothing to ensure its own long-term security. Unless you count headscarves on kids.
France helped lead opposition to the Iraq war on the UN Security Council, which set off an orgy of French-bashing nationwide last year.
Bottles of champagne were emptied into sewers, French cheeses went unsold on store shelves and angry US politicians called to rename America’s favourite snack “Freedom Fries.”
After it emerged during the presidential campaign that Kerry spoke the language, he reportedly stopped giving interviews with foreign media in French, for fear of giving the Bush camp more ammunition.
The connection between anti-French anger and Kerry’s policy statements — which sometimes don’t sound much different than what comes out of the French government — has been an easy one for critics to make.
This all makes me chuckle.
The article then wraps up with this:
…Italy is now one of the staunchest US allies on the war on terror, robbing Republicans of at least one European nation to target with scorn and abuse.
But they shouldn’t worry: they’ll always have Paris.
That’s just it — anybody can have Paris. Took about a month using WWII-era technology.