And not with a bang, but a whimper, this non-story, this little stink of Euro frets, this foirade, dissipates into the sovereign underpants of Europa's political bosses.

RICE ALLAYS CIA PRISON ROW FEARS

December 8, 2005 (BBC) - Nato and EU foreign ministers said Ms Rice had assured them, at a closed-door meeting on Wednesday evening, that the US did not interpret international humanitarian law differently from its allies. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the meeting was "very satisfactory for all of us". Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, one of those most concerned by the issue, also said he was "very satisfied".

In hastely pursuing an opportunity to beat on America and posture as outraged moral beings, the sainted politicos of Europa overlooked their own complicity. What were they to do? Admit that America had the run of their sovereign states without their knowledge or worse admit to extending cooperation in the first place and knowing all? Oh, dear. That's a tough nut. Best close the doors then emerge and announce you are now assured based on absolutely nothing new.

Like John Kerry, the Euro bosses pretend that terrorism is a class of criminal nuisance. They are loathe to admit they are part of a high-stakes war on terror (q.v. item 6), but they cannot ignore terrorists blowing up their trains and buses and killing -- voters. In Europa where voters expect so little from their political masters, they do expect their persons and hearths to be protected. [Hat tip: Hervé]

POLL FINDS BROAD APPROVAL OF TERRORIST TORTURE
Most In U.S., Britain, France, S. Korea
Say Torture Justified In Rare Instances

WASHINGTON December 6, 2005 (AP) - Most Americans and a majority of people in Britain, France and South Korea say torturing terrorism suspects is justified at least in rare instances, according to AP-Ipsos polling. [Hat tip: ¡No Pasarán!]

In America, 61 percent of those surveyed agreed torture is justified at least on rare occasions. Almost nine in 10 in South Korea and just over half in France and Britain felt that way.

We can always tell when a story has lost its legs in France. Comment passes from the editorial pages to the backpages to a demoted beaten-down ex-minister turned ministry spokesman, and, at the end, Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie steps forward to announce things are being looked into. This signals that a story is dead.

FRENCH AIRPORTS 'APPARENTLY NOT' USED BY CIA FLIGHTS

PARIS December 7, 2005 (AFP) - Asked on Europe 1 radio whether French airports were used by CIA-chartered flights, as reported by a French newspaper last week, Alliot-Marie replied: "Apparently not".

"We are trying to find out, but nothing makes us think so at this point," she added.

Whether it's the standing of the French army or what that army's been up to or said it's been up to or, in this case, the goings-on in France herself, Mdm. le Ministre, never certain what's up, never tires of tireless looks into things. That is the end of the story. Any findings, if they surface in the news, bob up in the backpages as news stubs before sinking from sight for good.

Mdm. le Ministre, the dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™, is the coda, the pale last note fading in the EU cathedral.

PFFT (What is this?): No knowlegible EU official on this issue 5 | Looking into things 1 | Rayonnement français 0

To the people in charge at the CIA: how can I help you?

I own a little condo, but there's enough room to store some terrorists.
All facilities available:
- a sink, water (to get some informations)
- toilets (to flush hateful books),
- electricity (any purpose)

Bonjour,

Et moi qui croyaient les yankees quand ils prétendaient défendre les droits de l ' Homme au Kosovo aux côtés de leurs amis terroristes musulmans de l ' UCK ???
Je suis très déçu !

Bonne chance aux soldats US en Irak ! Amusez vous bien !

Did you notice Michele Alliot-Marie (France’s defense minister) comments in Bahrain last week. (I think she also wrote some of this in an article that was printed in the Financial Times sometime last week….)

She told the participants of an international gathering last week to not let the Gulf be “an exclusive preserve of the United States” and played down suggestions that NATO play a greater military role in the Gulf.

She said the EU is forming a “battle group” of 1500 troops that can be deployed within 15 days for “crisis stabilization”.

She was also pushing security accords that would increase French arms sales to the Persian Gulf as “an answer to terrorism”.

Some of the comments of the participants to her ideas:
“in a crisis we won’t need 1500 troops, we will need tens of thousands” responded a Qatari sheik.

From the Brits: “You (Alliot-Marie) seem to want the Europeans to cooperate with everyone except the Americans”.

I think they were not real impressed with her ideas.

Also, the 1500 troop idea has been floating around for a long time in the EU, as this cut from December 2, 2004, Herald Tribune said “This latest step follows a new EU initiative to develop so-called battlegroups, forces of about 1,500 troops that can be deployed quickly. The groups are made up of troops from a single country or from a combination of countries. This is important politically because it shows EU governments willing to act together, as well as increasing participation by countries like the Scandinavian nations that have not traditionally contributed militarily.”

Anything new for the French, other than selling arms?

Bonjour

"Anything new for the French, other than selling arms?"

lol ! USA:40% des dépenses mondiales de l 'armement...

Toujours la jalousie de l 'anglosphère.Vos leçons de morale sont à géométrie variable:très pointilleuses quand il s'agit de protéger vos marchés.
Vous , yankees assassins , allez ,par exemple, pendre Saddam pour avoir utilisé les armes que VOUS lui avez vendues.
Qui n'a vu Rumsfeld en représentant de commerce en armement à Bagdad ?
Plus personne dans le Monde ne croit à vos leçons de morales (à part les Brits).
Nos collabos pro-yankees nous expliquaient "les yankees détestent le mensonge etc".
Après le Kosovo ,l'Irak on sait à quoi s'en tenir...

Good luck for your country in Irak !
Et joyeux Noêl !

lol ! USA:40% des dépenses mondiales de l 'armement...

So, now you are arguing like zoomer. It’s OK for the French to only want to sell arms, because they don’t sell as much as the US. Brilliant. My point is that here at a conference to have discourse on what to do about the Middle East, your defense minister says that “arms”, more of them is the answer. The same thing that in Iraq you blame the US for doing; solving problems with military might. Brilliant.

Vos leçons de morale sont à géométrie variable:très pointilleuses quand il s'agit de protéger vos marchés.
Please, don’t get me started on “market protection”. The French are the best at this strategy. Check out some of your countries policies on protecting French companies and her agriculture.

Vous , yankees assassins , allez ,par exemple, pendre Saddam pour avoir utilisé les armes que VOUS lui avez vendues.
Are you jealous that your defense minister did not sell them to him first?

Qui n'a vu Rumsfeld en représentant de commerce en armement à Bagdad ?
Would you sell arms to Syria in order to bring down a nuclear Iran? Wait, let me rephrase. You would sell arms to Iran in order to defeat the US. Perhaps the same thing here with Runsfeld.

Nos collabos pro-yankees nous expliquaient "les yankees détestent le mensonge etc".
Well, then hurry up and get your “crack” 1500 troop “quick strike” army ready to protect the world……

Good luck to your country in getting her unemployment rate down.
Merry Christmas.

@Andy

Bonjour,

1)Simplement un yankee n'a pas de leçons de morale à donner en matière d 'armement.Alors vendez les armes que vous voulez et laissez nous , nous Européens, équiper ceux qui veulent se défendre de votre dangereuse agressivité (Espagne pour Chavez etc , etc).

2)Ah ! notre agriculture vous vous voudriez bien la démanteler ! Encore la jalousie de l 'anglosphère !! Bien sûr vos caniches britanniques (Mandelson etc ) voudraient bien y arriver.Malheureusement vos caniches brits se sont aliéné le "Nouvelle Europe" dans les jours derniers…

3)Nous n 'avons pas l'hypocrisie ,nous ,de vouloir pendre Saddam pour avoir utilisé des armes que nous lui avions vendues auparavant.

4)Nous vendrons ce que nous voulons à qui nous voulons.Les lois des d ' Amato et compagnie on s'en torche !

5)Nous ne nous sommes pas laissé prendre dans nos propres mensonges comme vous sur les Musulmans: nous n'avons pas connu de 11/9 alors vos super troupes à quoi servent-elles ? Vous êtes incapables de protéger votre territoire contre une attaque terroriste massive.Je ne parle même pas de vos "succès" en Irak !

Good luck for your country in Irak !

If I write anything silly blame it on La Fin du Monde and on the Maudite I’ve been sipping. I think I’ve had just 3 or so too many beers this evening, but, anyway, here goes:

1) Your comment is extremely representative of exactly what the problem is between the US and Europe. You, and the governments of Europe, are in such a fit of anti-American hysteria that it shuts out any constructive discussion about European and US cooperation in the war on terror (and other important economic issues noted below) and what this means, not only for the safety of the European governments, but the European public as well. “Dangerous aggressiveness” of the US, indeed! Please, check out the comments and actions coming out of Iran, North Korea, and, yes, the darling of Spain, Cuba and the EU, Chavez. And you say that the US is dangerous? And these are the people you want to sell arms to?
BTW, did you notice the comments from Chavez (yesterday?) about the EU? His list of alleged conspirators against him is getting longer, as he said the EU is now out to destabilize his government, just because the EU had monitored Venezuela’s elections and had serious concerns regarding these elections. But if Chavez keeps up his anti-Bush comments you all will continue to be his lap dog, just because of this. Go ahead; sell him more arms as well, because, you see, the US is evil and “dangerous”.

2)Ah, yes, agriculture subsidies and tariffs…nothing like a good FOOD FIGHT! First off, the US and EU both use and support tarrifs (in the US it is mostly on sugar and lots of protection on cotton), and in the US we pay to farmers $20 Billion a year, which is close to 20% of all farm revenue. In the EU that figure is about 35% of farm revenue (led mostly by France which gets the fattest share of the EU’s subsidies, about 20%). I don’t want to do away with just the EU tariffs/subsidies—I’d like to see all countries do away with them. Yes, this is called free trade!

Malheureusement vos caniches brits se sont aliéné le "Nouvelle Europe" dans les jours derniers… I don’t understand this and about Mandelson. Please explain…There is so much in the news lately I must have missed what was said.

3) Good. Hang him high.

4) Sorry, I’m lost again…..What?

5) Well, you’re partly correct. The effectiveness of an army is diminished against an initial terrorist strike, such as 9/11. But against Iran it will be useful. That is unless you EU folks can persuade him to give up his weapons….Ha! (Please note that I meant no disrespect to any of the EU troops when I used the term “crack”; that was certainly not my intention).

Je ne parle même pas de vos "succès" en Irak !
Like that vote going on there, do you?

Good luck to your country in the suburbs!

Bonjour,
@Andy
1)Nous avons compris ,nous Français, que les USA n'étaient absolument pas des alliés LOYAUX.Vous avez trahi la France :
-A Anfa (1943) en excitant Mohammed V contre nous.
-En Indochine (1944) :la CIA équipe le Viet-Minh contre nous.Bien heureusement cela s'est retourné contre vous.Combien de Français ont été heureux de voir la débandade de Saigon en 1975 !.
-A Suez (1956):Là aussi le Monde musulman se retourne contre vous:c'est la justice immanente !
-Au Kosovo (1992):Vous vouliez islamiser l 'Europe .Là encore mal joué !Jean-Charles Brizzard a montré comment l 'UCK avait des liens avec les assassins du 11/9 (la "Golden List").

Et maintenant ,alors que la CIA sait que cela serait notre ruine ,vous intervenez pour faire entrer la Turquie dans l ' UE !
De quel droit ??
La France vous demande de démanteler votre frontière sur le Rio Grande ?

Les USA sont des ennemis de la France au même titre que l ' Islam.

2)FSC , loi d'Amato ,,blocus contre Cuba, contre l 'Irak etc "free trade" indeed ?
Je vous explique; votre caniche ,Blair , exige l 'extension sans limites de l ' UE (il a fait entrer les pays de l' Est=la nouvelle Europe de Rumsfeld).Seulement le caniche Blair ne veut pas payer pour ces pays.D ' où la révolte des pays de l 'Est contre cet escroc de Blair.
Bien joué Chirac !
Mandelson , lui,,autre caniche rêve de démanteler l 'agriculture française à Hong-Kong Mais la France à compris que l'UE n'est qu' un pion des USA maintenant.Et depuis notre non du 29 Mai ,nous reprenons notre souveraineté .Alors exit Mandelson !

3)On ne voit pas pourquoi on pendrait Saddam et pas Westmorland , Mac Namara ,Hungtinton et des centaines de yankees qui sont de bien plus grands criminels que lui (Vietnam=3 .000.000 millions de civils assassinés) Sans compter le Chili ,Saint-Domingue,Grenade,Iran (53) etc) etc.Cela ferait beaucoup de yankees à pendre !

Pour le moment dans nos banlieues ,il n' y a pas encore eu 50 morts comme à Los-Angeles comme Villepin vous l 'a rappelé…

Good luck for your country in Irak !
Et joyeux Noêl !

Oh, man!

I'm a bit too tired to answer this post tonight...I did see the comments and story about Mandelson in my paper this morning...don't forget I'm 6 hours behind you, so if you mention something, we may not have the news yet.

OK, just one thing:
Pour le moment dans nos banlieues ,il n' y a pas encore eu 50 morts comme à Los-Angeles comme Villepin vous l 'a rappelé…

Yeah, I read Villian Pinhead's comments (over at blog e-nough). Instead of riots in LA, why not compare to your own, like 6 February 1934. Thousands wounded, buses burned, shooting, all the riot stuff.

Good luck to your country in the suburbs

Bonjour,

6 février 34 ? C'est tout ce que vous avez trouvé:vous remontez à Mathusalem !
Il y a eu une vingtaine de morts...
Rien à voir par la fréquence et le nombre des victimes avec les USA:Newark,Detroit etc etc
et plus récemment encore (2001) Seattle.
Ne transposez pas la barbarie des USA à notre patrie la France...

Good luck for your country in Irak !
Et joyeux Noel !

1) So you list the dates 1943,1944,1956,1992 as then state that the US is enemy of France.
Let me try. 1870, 1914, 1940. I’m sure you recognize the dates. I now make the conclusion that Germany is the enemy of France.
Is it true? I think not in both cases. Germany is closer now to France than the US. True, relations are strained now with US/France, and we do not see eye to eye, but it has not always been this way, and may not again at some time in the future. In the mean time, your country does what it feels best for herself; we do the same.
So you do not want Turkey in EU? Well, just who is against Islam? I don’t think it is the US…

3) Ah, good thing you are against the death penalty...

Ne transposez pas la barbarie des USA à notre patrie la France...
That is your action, my friend. I am suggesting to you to pick one of your own riots (France has many from which to choose) and not compare to US riots. 6 février 34 was was picked by me as it was in a book I just finished and was fresh in my mind.

Note: your "pal" Mandelson wrote op-ed piece for NY Times on Tuesday you may want to read...

Good luck to your country is the 'burbs!
Merry Christmas!

Bonjour,

1)Toujours l'hypocrisie yankee.Vous jouez sur trois tableaux à la fois .Vous matraquez l 'Islam,vous vous dites l'ami de l'Islam (c'est peut-être pour cela que le Monde musulman vous hait) et en même temps (parce que vous êtes malin et que vous savez qu'il peut causer notre ruine) vous le jetez dans les jambes de l' Europe (Kosovo, Irak , Turquie etc)..

3)a)Je n'aime pas que la peine de mort soit à géométrie variable.Saddam a tué quelques centaines de milliers de gens ,Westmorland quelques millions l'un est condamné à mort l'autre joue au golf aux USA.Milosevitch à tué quelques centaines de musulmans ,Bush quelques centaines de milliers ;mêmes conséquences alors assez à la ""justice"" américaine.
b)Comptez vos émeutes et comparez avec le nombre des nôtres…

Good luck for your country in Irak !!

Et joyeux Noel

(c'est peut-être pour cela que le Monde musulman vous hait)

They hate us mostly for one reason: US support of Israel. Nothing more, nothing less.

Et maintenant ,alors que la CIA sait que cela serait notre ruine ,vous intervenez pour faire entrer la Turquie dans l ' UE !

I must laugh at this. The CIA is a bunch of bumbling keystone cops. They knew nothing about 911 terrorists, WMD in Iraq, or many other important things, yet you think they are capable of having the power to get Turkey into the EU?
And what are your main reasons for not wanting Turkey into EU? (If, that is, you can sensibly answer a question without going off on some leftist anti-American rant…)

Comptez vos émeutes et comparez avec le nombre des nôtres

[humor]
You know, I started to do this then I got confused while counting yours. Do I count 1 for each night and each separate city of your riots (which brought me up to about 900 very quickly) or does this whole affair in the ‘burbs just count as 1?
[/humor]

Good luck to your country in the suburbs!