Politics Intrudes in Bombing Inquiry [MORE FRENCH PEFIDY!]

NY Times ^ | July 16 | Elaine Sciolino

[Timeout]

LONDON, July 16 - Britain's era of good will with Europe lasted 48 hours - all because of the French.

In the wake of the July 7 terrorist attacks in London, Scotland Yard brought together law enforcement and intelligence officials from two dozen European countries and the United States, sharing crucial intelligence and pleading for help in tracking down the bombers.

But the continentwide kumbaya was shattered when Christophe Chaboud, France's new antiterrorism coordinator, broke the cardinal rule of the club.

He leaked.

In an interview with Le Monde...Mr. Chaboud announced to the world that he knew "the nature of the explosives" used in the London bombings.

It "appears to be military, which is very worrisome," he said, adding: "We're more used to cells making homemade explosives from chemical substances....

But Mr. Chaboud did not stop with his assessments of the explosives and their origins, which, it turned out, were completely wrong. He plunged into politics, railing at the British with an I-told-you-so air that Europe was a more dangerous place because of the war in Iraq.

"The war in Iraq has revived the logic of total conflict against the west," he declared, without adding the obvious, that Britain supported the war and France did not.

The British reacted with fury, sending off communiqués to a number of its European friends that expressed deep disappointment that the bonds of trust had been broken, two European officials who received the missives said.

The sense of betrayal has been acute. The British overture to its friends was rare in the intelligence and law enforcement world, where information is often shared only on a bilateral basis and only when it benefits a country's own national security.

[Timeout]

Here's Belgravia Dispatch's take on this:

http://www.belgraviadispatch.com/

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Oh, shoot. "Pefidy"...is that a French word?!

I meant "perfidy"...can you correct it? Thanks.

[Pharmboy]

Mr. Chaboud further said that: [insert silly French accent here]: "We cannot ehvair take the Anglais seriously...so long as they make that awfil feesh and cheeps."

[SteamShovel]

"The war in Iraq has revived the logic of total conflict against the west," he declared,

Since when was the "conflict against the west" dead, huh frenchy?

[Timeout]

Bin Laden must consider the French to be a perfect example of the phrase: useful idiots.

[yooling]

Bin Laden must consider the French to be a perfect example of the phrase: useful idiots.

I think you could shorten that name down to just idiots.