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Chirac snub to Bush
UK Sun ^ | 2/22/05 | UK Sun

Posted on 02/22/2005 6:20:20 PM PST by wagglebee

IRAQ war wobbler Jacques Chirac scuttled George Bush’s fence-mending trip to Europe yesterday — by cranking up a row over the future of Nato.

He embraced a German-led plot to ditch the alliance as the backbone of transatlantic relations, in favour of the European Union.

He also snubbed President Bush by speaking French at a dinner, despite having fluent English.

(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bush; chirac; euvisit; france; jacksht; nonallyfrance; snub
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To: Steel Wolf
He embraced a German-led plot to ditch the alliance as the backbone of transatlantic relations, in favour of the European Union.

GWB: "Oh, please don't throw me in that briar patch, Mr. Chirac...!"

Post of the day?

101 posted on 02/22/2005 9:54:49 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle

Chirac once again prooved that he is ignorant and a low life . Someday France ..some day ..you'll need the USA AGAIN..to bail your sorry asses out of trouble..We have LONG LONG memories here in the US..I wouldnt lift a finger or send a penny to help those 2 faced coward French bastards. If only Mark Twain were here to comment on them one more time.


102 posted on 02/22/2005 10:01:43 PM PST by hineybona
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To: Hudobna
while Europa "Democratica" stood by worried about liberté, fraternité, egalité... and the humidité inside their brains... but mostly the tranquilité of their bank accounts.

Ha ha ha! You nailed it!

"Mr. Gorbaciov, knock down that wall!"

Whereas our geniuses at best would have suggested ways of making it prettier!

Exactly. I am noticing all the time that Europe is so interested in aesthetics and not at all focused on the chess game going on in the world. Say what you want about Bush; he is trying to effect beneficial change for people in this world who are not born yet. A lot of the EU posturing is just that. No courage to stand up to evil. It's all about how things LOOK rather than how things ARE.

103 posted on 02/22/2005 10:02:31 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: Righty_McRight

"I speak Spanish to God, French to women, English to men and Japanese to my horse." -B. Banzai


104 posted on 02/22/2005 10:07:35 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: mnehrling
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3161520
105 posted on 02/22/2005 10:08:26 PM PST by lowbridge
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To: Yaelle

Ciao Yaelle,
Put it this way: Europe, at present, is very good at drinking the wine, but absolutely careless and shoddy about taking care of the vine. And because of this, she is destined both to diminishing returns and diminishing enjoyment.


106 posted on 02/22/2005 10:11:27 PM PST by Hudobna
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To: FreedomCalls

"The French couldn't even get their troops to Bosnia/Kosovo when needed. They had to commandeer several tourist ferries off the Sardinia/Corsica run."

They couldn't get relief to Tsunami victims without many days delay to rent helicopters.


107 posted on 02/22/2005 10:11:40 PM PST by dervish (Europe should pay for NATO)
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To: CAluvdubya

Sure there's a plan. Bush has leverage in NATO, but not with the EU. It's in our interest, therefore, to keep the EU from developing its own forces and to keep NATO viable. Chirac, instead, wants the EU to become another superpower--a rival one day to the US.

For decades Europe got a free ride while we did the heavy lifting. While we complained, they coasted. But now it's in our own interest for the Europeans to continue relying on us instead of competing militarily. The last thing we need is another superpower coming on the scene as a countervalence to ourselves just as China is emerging and coming into its own in opposition to us. This is why Bush is making nice and declaring that nothing can come between Europe and ourselves. He is saying, in effect, there is no need to build up your own force--we will continue as always to protect you.

Personally, I'm not too concerned with EU dreams of grandeur. Chirac may want EU to have its own forces, but Europe is too decadent to deflect money from the welfare state for its own defense. My bet is they'll continue to opt for the free ride. Bush would like that just fine.


108 posted on 02/22/2005 10:12:14 PM PST by ultima ratio
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To: Captain Peter Blood; wagglebee
The joke is really on the Europeans and Chirac, Bush could care less what these people think and he is the one laughing at them not the other way around. Chirac continues to make a fool of himself and talking in french at tonight's dinner is another example of that.

President Bush is not just a brilliant politician but wise at the game of life. Beneath the Texas drawl stans a man with a rare and unique understanding of human nature.

The campaigns: Remember smarmy Gore, so much smarter than Bush and the rest of us? Remember "Don't-you-know-who-I-am" Kerry? These men made asses of themselves, placing themselves on contrastive display before the American people. The loud braying and hee-hawing, all the scoffing about Bush the idiot by their phalanx of minions, and by proxy the unspoken slight against the average American heralded their demise on Election Day.

I see similar dynamics at work here.

109 posted on 02/23/2005 12:27:51 AM PST by Lexinom
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To: Captain Peter Blood
Granted we still have some friends in Europe, England and Italy,

You forgot Poland.

110 posted on 02/23/2005 12:34:48 AM PST by Lexinom
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To: ultima ratio

Europe is going broke. They have no armies and cant afford to do much about it . Not to worry


111 posted on 02/23/2005 3:09:22 AM PST by hineybona
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To: Virginia Queen
Tell us what you really think. Remember Bush has the intelligence reports (no laughing) on Chirac. They show the extent of his perfidity with saddam. Bush KNOWS he is a phony liar and will act accordingly.

The funny thing is, Chirac knows that Bush knows. haha

112 posted on 02/23/2005 4:38:50 AM PST by Former Proud Canadian (.)
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To: JimSEA
"BBC International is already taking The POS's side. Resistance to Bush's "Gllobal Agenda", etc."

The BBC leans so far left they need suction cups on their shoes so they don't topple over.

113 posted on 02/23/2005 4:48:02 AM PST by libs_kma (USA: The land of the Free....Because of the Brave!)
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To: notigar
Our media decided to characterize Dr. Rice speaking english as a snub.

Mentioning that she is fluent in French and should have spoken French.

Leave it to our America hating media to stir the pot.

Of course, this is purely speculation on my part. Perhaps it is their media stirring the pot by suggesting that Chirac speaking French is a snub.

Our reacting to any in the media is a bit dangerous.

114 posted on 02/23/2005 5:09:38 AM PST by OldFriend (America's glory is not dominion, but liberty.)
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To: notigar
"I'm wondering how this is a snub at all. Its his language, am I missing something?"

I used to travel to Europe on business for an international company and we had posted social do's and dont's for both sides of the big pond.

One of them was from the European side that reminded them to speak in English, because even to them it was considered to be in very poor taste to speak a language that their "guest" couldn't understand.

In my experience they were serious about it, and wouldn't talk in their language unless they explained why. On very few occasions the local I was with would run into an acquaintance who didn't speak English, and would explain that to me before he answered or talked to that person.

They may have been running a scam on me, but I didn't get that impression at all. I always felt that they knew it was rude and thats why they avoided it.

115 posted on 02/23/2005 5:11:43 AM PST by libs_kma (USA: The land of the Free....Because of the Brave!)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

Shy and retiring, that's me!!! Add reserved to that. I know all that about Bush and Chirac, but I hate to see our President (and our Country) "diss'ed" like that. When I was a child (11-17 yrs), I lived in Morocco for 6 years. It was still French Morocco so I have lived among them (the French). Even then (1954-1960) -- dealing with us peons -- our counterparts would never miss a chance to insult or denigrate us and our country. That will never change. I file it under the category: Jealousy.


116 posted on 02/23/2005 6:06:26 AM PST by Virginia Queen (Virginia Queen)
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To: Former Proud Canadian
The funny thing is, Chirac knows that Bush knows. haha

Too bad the brits joined with EU to tell Poland not to buy Boeing aircraft. Lucrative aircraft contracts are apparently what the EU hangs its hat on for survival. It's going to get nastier the further Europe slides into Islaamicization. Chirac is lower than a snake belly in a wagon rut and doesn't care who knows it. What a maroon.

117 posted on 02/23/2005 6:57:59 AM PST by Podkayne (marg bar eslaam hegemony)
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To: wagglebee

There's no point in Bush trying to be friendly with that guy. He should just forget about Chirac.


118 posted on 02/23/2005 6:59:47 AM PST by youngtory (Rights are rights are rights. Just like a proof is a proof is a proof.-Liberal dorks.)
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To: wagglebee
What Bush is doing is trying to extend a hand. Yeah the other one keeps biting it ... but this is how Bush views Christianity. Eventually Bush will with drawl his hand.
119 posted on 02/23/2005 7:01:29 AM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: wagglebee

I'm not surprised. Are you? Who cares? Bush doesn't and neither do I. Chirac is irrelevant and couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. He's nothing and he has shown the world who is is.

Now I'm going to go enjoy some Freedom Fries finished off with some Freedom Vanilla Ice Cream. :)


120 posted on 02/23/2005 7:20:42 AM PST by cubreporter (U)
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