Robert Novak returns from abroad. Surprise! Anti-Americanism remains France's No.1 political trump:
One French intellectual described anti-Americanism to me as "a cancer that is sweeping across the country." It may not be as deadly as cancer, but it surely is not healthy for France.On his recent visit to London, Chirac pressed for "multipolarity": a return to international rivalries that produced the carnage of the 20th century. He also suggested there was no point trying to repair his country's difficulties with Washington and taunted British Prime Minister Tony Blair because "our American friends" do not "pay back favors." Mocking Donald Rumsfeld's designation of France as "Old Europe," he pretended not to remember the secretary of defense's name and referred to him, sarcastically, as "that nice guy of America."
[Chirac] is unpopular, detested by the Left and considered an apostate on the Right, but may survive by bashing Uncle Sam.
(Hat tip: E-Nough!)
UPDATE 11.29.04: Sacré bleu! The first link above is a French satire on French anti-Americanism. How did we miss that? Well, for satire to register it needs to stand apart from the thing it satirizes. A satire that is identical in every particular to that satirized is a very hard call indeed.
>taunted British Prime Minister Tony Blair because "our American friends" do not "pay back favors."
Like they paid us back after WWII?
At the same time that Jacko was belching out “I am not sure that is in the nature of our American friends at the moment to return favors systematically”, French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte was singing a different tune in New York. He was there in order to “promote US investment in France”.
In the US, the frogs are saying: that US-French business ties “have never been stronger.”
In Europe the frogs are saying: “US will not return any favors.”
Well, frogs, your own M. Levitte pointed out that “Americans are already France’s largest foreign investors, supporting nearly 550,000 French jobs.” Sounds like that is some kind of “favor”. Jacko and Levitte should get on the same page.
Now, I also read in another article that FrogLand is the second largest foreign investor in the US (UK is first) responsible for 650,000 US jobs. Looks like favors abound everywhere.
Note: I noticed that next May through September, the National Archives (here in DC) will present an exhibit called “Paris on the Potomac”. It will, as touted, “spotlight Americans whose encounters with France have affected diplomatic, political, military or cultural life at pivotal moments in US or world history….Diaries, journals, photographs …will illustrate how these individuals felt about Paris or how Paris felt about them.” Geez, I wonder if President Bush will be providing any of his thoughts about Paris, or vice versa!
Another Note: I think that zoomer has run up the white flag and surrendered....
I think that zoomer has run up the white flag and surrendered....
Could it have been something I said? I don't think Zoomer's surrender is a bad thing. He possibly has confronted an uncomfortable truth about his country, that defies easy rationalisation.
Inability to rationalize? No. Zoomer is to rationalization as LeMonde is to bike racing.
perhaps his ISP is on strike.
Pedantic note really, but the French do not "run up" the white flag; they occasionally pull it down.
