The French...again

My thoughts on Jacques Chirac, the President of France, have been made clear on my other postings:  he’s an idiot.

During the build-up to the war in Iraq, the bombastic Chirac insisted that the new nations of the European Union follow France’s lead on its opposition to the Iraq War.  The French also warned of consequences in the European power block if new EU members supported the U.S.  Naturally, this had/has many new EU members upset with French attempts to insert France's influence into their affairs. 

While I do not have an issue with French opposition to the Iraq war, I do have a major problem with France not being honest over why it really opposed the war.  Billions of dollars in agreements between Saddam Hussein and France made the French government’s position very suspect during the lead-up to the war.  French complicity in the oil-for-food scandal did not help the French image over here.  Their attempts to sabotage U.N. involvement in the rebuilding of Iraq also made it look like the French were protecting their contracts (most of which will not be honored by the new Iraqi government) instead of helping the Iraqi people regain their freedom and restore stability to that war-ravaged country.

Many in Europe and in the U.S. will be cheering when the bombastic French leader leaves office.  It seems like for all the screaming that the French are doing these days about the U.S. taking unilateral action in Iraq, the French are doing the same thing in other parts of the world. U.S. political leaders are not taking France to task over libelous statements that the French leadership has made over Iraq, over Turkey’s admission to the E.U., over the recent French accusations that Washington is blackmailing developing countries into accepting trade agreements in exchange for AIDS medicines and other French slurs.  It has also not made a big deal out of France’s foot-dragging when it comes to admitting to its own war crimes guilt in Algeria over the hundred-year occupation of Algeria.

I think that the verbal sparring between Israel’s Prime Minister and Chirac has lain open French arrogance for the entire world to see.  Sharon and Chirac are so alike that they are naturally aggressive toward one another.  In a lot of ways, Bush and Chirac are alike too, so the sparks tend to fly.  It’s actually been fun to watch.  Reminds me of a back-and-forth tennis match.

The French continually underestimate Bush and Bush has turned right around on them and it annoys the daylights out of Chirac.  Bush has also underestimated Chirac and has had his nose publicly punched, much to the delight of the French population, which also dislikes Bush.

This is what happens when egos replace common sense.