Posted on 10/13/2004 9:55:50 PM PDT by quidnunc
Ah, the French. How to think of them? There is an easy default answer: kindly and gratefully. After all, they helped us in the Revolutionary War, gave us Alexis de Tocqueville and the Statue of Liberty, and to this day feel a keen republican spirit in harmony with America's own. Sure, we have had our spats. But when the chips are down, you can count on France to be on our side, more or less, and to supply some great wine if it is needed.
That is certainly one point of view. It is also (except for the wine) nonsense, as John J. Miller and Mark Molesky argue in "Our Oldest Enemy." More than a few readers are likely to agree. Before 9/11, 77% of Americans held a favorable opinion of France. By March 2003, only 34% did.
That's quite a shift, and little wonder. In the weeks leading up to the Iraq war, when French support might have helped win the approval of the United Nations, the French poured contempt on the U.S. for its "unilateralism." In those crucial days Dominique de Villepin, the French foreign minister, scolded the U.S. with particular condescension, declaring that "nothing justifies envisaging military action." The chips were down, and France was most assuredly not on our side.
But the problem started long ago, note Messrs. Miller and Molesky. They begin their own chronicle with the Revolutionary War. True, they say, France helped the rebellious states. But the French entered the war reluctantly, they observe, and were motivated above all by a desire to harm the interests of their British rival.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
I will definitely read this 1st thing in the morning.
I'm currently reading David McCullough's biography of John Adams. I'm intrigued by the French underhandedness in Adams' time. Reading many of his letters, they could just as well have been written today.
They were giving us grief when our troops were marching into Paris after liberating them from the Nazis. Ike finally had to tell our folks just to ignore them.
LIFE Magazine: Americans Are Losing the Victory in Europe,January 7, 1946
"But when the chips are down, you can count on France to be on our side, more or less"
Completely moronic. The chips WERE down and France wasn't "on our side". In fact, they organized against us as a non-belligerent ally of our enemy.
Terrible wine, terrible cheese, nasty food, stinky people, poor soil, bad location in general.
I'm not sure the man is entirely sane.
I'm entirely sure the man is totally insane.
It's true: partially blaming France for Hitler's invasion is similar to partially blaming the U.S. for 9/11.
Seems like a pretty fair review of an interesting book. Although I didn't get anything from the review to imply that there's much more about France's behavior that folks don't commonly know already, though.
The piss pot French can talk a long walk off a short pier....
The piss pot French can take a long walk off a short pier....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.