De Villepin announces

[fhdz]

Today we are all Americans.

[Habbaku]

I still maintain that France has been, and shown itself to be, the best ally the US has ever had.

Certainly a fair opinion, and one borne by plenty of evidence.  The Brits are lacke--er, jockeying for the position rather hard, though.

[Razgovory]

Not even.

I still maintain that France has been, and shown itself to be, the best ally the US has ever had. 

We're there when it matters, for example and especially humint on the near-east and terrorism.

Actually, I'm inclined to agree a bit here.  When you have friend who is about to do something really stupid, you should do everything you can to stop him.

[Ideologue]

Not even.

I still maintain that France has been, and shown itself to be, the best ally the US has ever had. 

We're there when it matters, for example and especially humint on the near-east and terrorism.

Je t'aime bien,* mais tu dois etre folle.

Le terrorisme n'est pas important; ce qui est important, c'est renverser les fascistes.




*Sauf si cela signife aussi que je veux avoir des rapports sexuels avec vouz, comme "je t'aime" sans "bien."  Mais vouz savez que je veux dire.

[Barrister]

Not even.

I still maintain that France has been, and shown itself to be, the best ally the US has ever had. 

I mean really.



I wouldn't even put Canada in that role, as much as I wish we were.

[Habbaku]

Actually, I'm inclined to agree a bit here.  When you have friend who is about to do something really stupid, you should do everything you can to stop him.

[Ideologue]

No one has ever demonstrated to me how invading Iraq was stupid.  5000 dead people does not exactly suggest a grave of empires.

Now, retaining our obscenely low tax burden while we were fighting two wars: that was stupid.  But I don't remember anyone in France counseling us on our revenue policy back in 2003.

[Razgovory]

No one has ever demonstrated to me how invading Iraq was stupid.  5000 dead people does not exactly suggest a grave of empires.

Now, retaining our obscenely low tax burden while we were fighting two wars: that was stupid.  But I don't remember anyone in France counseling us on our revenue policy back in 2003.

5000 dead people may not be the grave of empires but it's not exactly a good thing.  The thing is, the US didn't really gain anything from the war.  It cost a lot of money, and racked up lots of casualties but the gains are pretty paltry.  The expenditure of political capital is harder to gauge, but I think it has been significant.  I think the US commitment to Iraq has served to weaken the ability to deal with the real threat in the region: Iran.  It may be harder to gain international support for possible military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities because of the boondoggle with WMD in Iraq.

[CountDeMoney]

I still maintain that France has been, and shown itself to be, the best ally the US has ever had. 

We're there when it matters, for example and especially humint on the near-east and terrorism.

I would concur with that.  But people have more fun with Freedom Fries and cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

And in 2003, while they were calling bullshit on the Bush Administration over Iraq*, they were also the ones sounding the klaxon loudest on Iranian nuclear development.  It was the French that delivered the intel on what was going on at Natanz and Arak, not the UN, not the IAEA, and not the US.




*which as Yi intimates, quite frankly, they could've done in a better way, and yes, De Villepin ambushed Powell at the last minute with an about-face, so you can't weasel out of that one, Zoups.

[CountDeMoney]

No one has ever demonstrated to me how invading Iraq was stupid.

Iraqi election results have demonstrated that for you.  Tehran appreciates the support.

[Ideologue]

Relax.  Tehran will be a trinitite parking lot by February.