[The Wizard]

I'd say Chiraq blew it big time by trying to be a king

[Mamzelle]

A FRENCHMAN expects GRATITUDE?

[BlessedBeGod]

Well, good for them! LOL They're not intimidated by the great Jacques!

This is getting better and better.

[Puddleglum]

One East European diplomat said Chirac had spoken in a tone that not even the Soviet Union would have used with its Warsaw Pact clients during its 40 year dominance of the region.

One observes Chriac's behavior and recalls the origins of the Russian revolutionaries. All the best coffeehouse intellectuals aspire to be dictators, and visa-versa.

[YOMO]

France's outburst will underline suspicions among the eight ex-communist states due to join the European Union next year that Paris expects them to show humble gratitude for being granted membership.............

Yeah, you know, like the French displayed their gratitude after two World Wars and a rebuilding.

[DoughtyOne]

France lost me when it refused to let our pilots enter it's airspace to carry out the Lybia raid under Ronald Reagan. Chirac seems determined to destroy what little respect it had left. He's doing a good job.

[Diogenesis]

The Terrorist Dance of France - the ChIRAQ Shuffle

[Cacique]

BUMP

[Cacique]

BUMP

[taxcontrol]

.....that Paris expects them to show humble gratitude for being granted membership and wants them to accept French primacy in the bloc.

---

Maybe the US should go a court the east european countries. Perhaps offer Poland and other US friendly countries statehood. Doubt they would take us up on it but it sure would put a bee in the bonnet of the French.

Be kinda fun to watch.

[ch.man]

One East European diplomat said Chirac had spoken in a tone that not even the Soviet Union would have used with its Warsaw Pact clients during its 40 year dominance of the region.

It says a lot about who the french and the people in power in France now really are. Does not bode well for the famous EU constitution.

[machman]

Blacque Jacque Shellacque, Chirac in another life....

[Clara Lou]

You post some really interesting ones. Bump for later.

[goldstategop]

Germany and France want to keep the European Union an exclusive West European club run by the French and the Germans. The East Europeans are finally catching on to the fact they won't be equal in the EU. They might tell Western Europe to shove it and revive the defunct Comecon, this time as a free market rival to the statist EU. Now that would be Paris and Berlin's worst nightmare. The U.S should encourage its Eastern European friends to form a collective counterweight to the EU instead of enlarging it. Europe doesn't need a common home run according to the dictates of M. Chirac and Herr Schroeder.

[ncpastor]

The French, arrogant? Mais, non!

[E.G.C.]

I'm not sure if this is related to the story, but this morning on Fox News Channel there was a story on the crawl on the bottom of the screen that Al-Queda was targeting certain places in Austraila. This country according to the report has weak anti-terror laws and very inadequate security.

If my researcch is correct, this is also the nation that is being run by a bunch of Bill Clinton types who apparently seem to focusing their police surveillence more on their political adversaries then on these terrorist cells.

This is what happens when you put the wrong kind of people in positions of authority.
Regards.

[MissAmericanPie]

"His outburst will give ammunition to EU opponents in eastern Europe who argue they risk surrendering a liberty recently regained from Moscow to a bloc that will ignore their interests

Duh, no kidding. Why anyone would want to ditch their sovereignty and self interests to join the EU or the UN is a mystery to me. More "free trade" that isn't free corporate/government flim flam?

[StriperSniper]

Reuters version:

and had missed "a great opportunity to shut up."

AP version:

Chirac said. "It is not well brought up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet."

Is it just different translations? Anybody know? I don't know if Chirac's original comments were in English or French.

[Ches]

Sleep well, Poland. You are not under the protection of France.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Chiraq is a pompous idiot that is making his smelly country truly irrelevant.