Posted on 10/03/2004 12:12:28 PM PDT by Pikamax
Rice: Bush Didn't Mock France in Speech
WILLIAM C. MANN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush has brought the oldest ally of the United States into his re-election campaign as a reason not to vote for his opponent, Sen. John Kerry.
National security adviser Condoleezza Rice denied Sunday that Bush was holding France up to ridicule for saying in a campaign speech that Kerry would let "countries like France" decide when to use American force.
Bush's audience in Allentown, Pa., booed at the mention of France.
"There's no ridicule here. It's a statement of fact: The French didn't agree," Rice said on CNN's "Late Edition."
She said French President Jacques Chirac's government believed it was taking a principled stand, but "I remember that the French foreign minister said, essentially, there was no (United Nations) resolution that they would vote for that would lead to war. Well, at that point, you have to make a decision."
Because of France's veto power on the U.N. Security Council, the Bush administration eventually formed a "coalition of the willing" outside the United Nations, with Britain as the principal junior partner, for the March 2003 invasion. The French position sparked U.S. boycotts of French goods and other reactions such as the renaming of french fries in a Capitol restaurant to "freedom fries."
Kerry did not mention France in the first presidential debate last Thursday.
He said that should a U.S. president begin a pre-emptive war, "you've got to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people, understand fully why you're doing what you're doing; and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons."
Bush's campaign pounced on the comment, saying it showed Kerry's willingness to give foreign governments veto power over U.S. war-making authority.
France has been a U.S. ally since before the United States existed, aiding colonists in the Revolutionary War against Britain.
He should have...
I'm disappointed.
I don't have any contact with my "oldest" friend anymore because she's treacherous and venal, and I make no apologies for this.
Would have been too easy.....
I see few are reading the entire thing and are knee jerking over "He should have", etc.
..."France has been a U.S. ally"...
"France is a has been as a U.S. ally"
France====LOL!!!!
planekT wrote:
..."France has been a U.S. ally"...
"France is a has been as a U.S. ally"
Hah! Liberal Media Bastards. So concerned about 'Bush Mocking France', but have they every asked Kerry why he mocks 'Coalition of the Willing' as 'Coalition of Bribed and Coerced'.
How do you mock the absurd?
Rice: Bush Didn't Mock France in Speech
France deserves to be mocked
That's as historically accurate as saying that Russia aided the Union side during the US civil war. Neither of these two 'friendly' regimes exists anymore.
In the case of France, they have been through how many governments since then? Ten? Fifteen?
The sacrifices of Lafayette and a few others were repaid in full during WW I. France still owes us big for WW II.
"France has been a U.S. ally since before the United States existed, aiding colonists in the Revolutionary War against Britain."
It was purely through hatred of the British from previous skirmishes that France was willing to aid American colonialists.
Kerry did on CNN Crossfire in 1997. It's no wonder though that the MSM would go after Bush and not sKerry.
I was quoting from the article. You knew that right?
:-)
I'm being a little paranoid
( I'm 4' 11".... and i'm paranoid)
So I thought i should check!
:-)
No harm, no foul.
Leave it to CNN to ask such a stupid question.
One of the oldest enemies too.
France was the first nation that the independent United States ever had to fight against.
The Quasi-War with France,1798-1800
February 5, 1799: USS Constellation captures the French 36-gun frigate L'Insurgente
Kerry DID mock Poland, and all our other Allies EXCEPT France, Germany, and Russia - - - well, guess things have changed drastically for Russia lately haven't they sadly?
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