Kamchatka

You know what? The whole thing on the human level is about pride.

I am not going to defend stupidly anti-French Americans. I am also not going further attack stupidly anti-American French.

You are correct that French Canadiens cannot be compared to the French.

I will not back off of Chirac. He is a hypocrite. He has lead the world to believe that France is somehow attempting to reign in the neo Nazis, not in the form of Saddam Hussein but rather in the form of America.

France is conspicuous with its bedfellows Russia, Germany, and China in there policy of do nothingness while pointing fingers at those that are accomplishing what the French agree must be done.

lpetrich

What's "anti-American"?

Is it anything more than some content-free insult word?

Kamchatka

No, they did not.

However, they are asking us to maintain the pressure that has lead to the inspections and the severely limited success that they have had.

France knows that the only reason that inspectors were allowed back into Iraq is the threat of force. France knows that all cooperation from Saddam Hussein has come as a result of the threat of force.

Now France refrains over and over to let the inspections work, give Saddam more time.

I say fine. Get up off your French asses and apply the required pressure yourselves and accept the economic investment required to do it.

Any second now the french are going to slip on the fence they have been tightroping and land solidly on their nuts, one leg on both sides, appropriately french.

Jolimont

That is a ridiculous statement. Show me one quotation by Chirac where he says Americans are neo nazis. One! I do not agree with Chirac on a lot of things. But here's one where I agree. He has said clearly that he will not support any UN resolution that authorizes war against Iraq UNTIL the inspectors report to the UN that Iraq is not making any progress towards dissarmement. He never said he would not support war no matter what. Can you understand the difference between the two? Bush doesn't seem to. I just heard him on the radio repeat that France won't go along no matter what. That has never been France's position and Bush knows it. Chirac doesn't want to hear Bush declare Saddam is in breach, he wants to hear it from the inspectors. So far the inspectors have given reports that indicate Saddam is cooperating to a point. Chirac is even willing to set a date after which the inspector reports would be irrelevant, but he wants to give it some time. Why is Bush against giving it a few more weeks? What could Saddam possibly do in 3 or 4 weeks he couldn't do in 12 years?

Jolimont

If Bush hadn't acted like such a moron demanding support NOW NOW NOW NOW AND ONLY ON MY TERMS and if he'd kept his tongue in check about how irrelevant everybody but him is, maybe he would have gotten support. France SHOULD help Americans put pressure on Saddam, but Bush has made sure nobody wants to help him by calling everyone irrelevant. Even Brittain is being told that if they don't jump high enough or fast enough, maybe they're not needed after all. What the fuck? Why should Europeans help this administration? The Bush administration has done nothing but dismissed Europe, are you surprised they don't want to help him now? Bush should act a little more reasonably, then he'd get support.

Happy Wonderer

Huh? This doesn't make sense to me. How is it hypocritical to say (as most of the world is saying) that the inspections are working and to give them more time to work? So what if French forces are involved or not...? Truly puzzled.

What seems a bit hypocritical to me is the argument that the inspections are working because of the US forces that we are sending to invade Iraq. Nobody on either side of this debate believes that we are sending them as a gigantic and expensive bluff. Can anyone honestly tell me that Saddam can do anything to avoid invasion other than stepping down?


HW

Mr. Superbad

If we wanted the inspections to fail, and it sure seems like we did, we shouldn't have built up troops, then we could be deciding on what the sever consequences of not disarming are. If we want inspections to work, we just have to be a credible military threat to Iraq. That doesn't mean we have to ship hundreds of thousands of troops into the area.

Bush made it clear he was going to go into Iraq regardless of the UN, so why all the bellyaching that the UN didn't go along with us? It's not just the French now, it's most of the SC. Bush expected that he could bully the UN into going along with this, and he was wrong.

Kamchatka

Do YOU understand the difference between saying something and leading people to believe something?

It is easy for a country that has NOTHING invested militarily or economically to say wait until we say it's okay before you do what we know must be done.

It doesn't matter how long the American soldiers have to sit in the desert waiting for the French sitting in their parlors having a smoke to give their blessing to America to put those soldiers in harms way, to the French.

They are not invested.

Saddam could play this circle jerk game with the French, Russians, Germans and Chinese, showing slightly more cooperation, progressively.

Saddam has had all the time he has needed. He has lied every step of the way and the French continue to defend him.

This debate on the international and personal level is pointless.

The French wish to bleed the American military and economy to the greatest degree they can get away with.

The time for debate is over. Go back to your parlor, have a smoke and count the political currency you managed to steal.

For the record, if it was up to me, I would pull the plug on the military engagement with Iraq and let France's inspections "work".

What a monumental joke Chirac's position is. It is nothing short of pathetic.

After the disengagement, I would hold France responsible for the outcome of disarmament or the future results of Iraq's chemical and biological agents falling into the hands of terrorists.

You ask what Saddam could do in three or four weeks that he has not done in 12 years?

Thank you for precisely making the American point. Given three or four more weeks he will continue to lie, and thwart any real progress of the inspections and prepare to make his coming demise uglier than ever for all involved which clearly does not include the "proud" French.

The French position is so repugnant- all they have left is their pride or a false sense thereof.

MaximusDementis

I don't know about all that stuff y'all have been saying. All I know is that today we are having Coq au Vin , baby spinach and artichoke heart salad, and creme broullee . We are having this to honor the courageous stand of the French against the unneccessary war in Iraq. The rooster is one of our free range French Marans from White Gate Farm. That's the name of our little piece of heaven in western Tennessee.

Jolimont

Kamchtka I've asked you to give me some proof for the accusations you make against Chirac and you have not. Just as I thought, you're talking out of your ass. You are free to assess the situation as you wish. You are free to call the French any name you wish. Just don't expect any support with that kind of attitude.