NYT: Politics Intrudes in Bombing, Deepening French-British Rift, Ending Britain's era of goodwill

New York Times ^ | July 17, 2005 | ELAINE SCIOLINO

[OESY]

Squandered Sympathy

"Support for Osama bin Laden and suicide bombings have fallen sharply in much of the Muslim world, according to a multicountry poll released on Thursday," Reuters reports. The Pew Research Center survey covered Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan and Lebanon, and only in Jordan had sympathy for bin Laden increased since 2003:

In Morocco, 26 percent of the public now say they have a lot or some confidence in bin Laden, down from 49 percent in a similar poll two years ago.

In Lebanon, where both Muslims and Christians took part in the survey, only 2 percent expressed some confidence in the Saudi-born al Qaeda leader, down from 14 percent in 2003.

In Turkey, bin Laden's support has fallen to 7 percent from 15 percent in the past two years. In Indonesia, it has dropped to 35 percent from 58 percent.

Bin Laden had the sympathy of the world after 9/11, and he squandered it. Just pissed it away in the name of foolish foreign adventures! He must be ruing the day he ever went into Iraq.


Shouldn't That Be 'bin Luden'?

"Muslim Support for bin Laden Drops"--headline, CBSNews.com, July 14

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[Earthdweller]

A very ugly picture. From now on any picture of Chirac should have a barf alert.

[Peach]

The French continue to isolate themselves in the war on terror. First they allegedly concocted the forged documents that came to the CIA and caused a row over the State of the Union speech. Now they have gone out of their way to lie about sensitive information in the middle of the London bombing case simply to score a couple of political points, enraging the British and threatening to end cooperation between the two countries on intelligence:

Has this been mentioned elsewhere? That the French forged those documents? Stunning news, if true.

[prairiebreeze]

The forged documents part was new to me. Didn't recall that.

[moose2004]

"The Chirac government, on the verge of being chased out of office by a highly discontented electorate, has settled for a survival strategy of damaging its putative allies for a brief moment of self-centered exploitation of Brit-hatred. Western governments should start protecting their interests by isolating France as quickly as possible, diplomatically, economically, and militarily. Perhaps that might provide a lesson for the current French regime about their empty fantasies of diplomatic domination".

Chirac currently enjoys a meager 21% approval rating, hardly a ringing endorsement. He basically directed the drafting of the proposed EU Constitution which French and Dutch voters soundly rejected. French voters blame him and his policies for the terrible condition of their nation's economy. He lost the battle with Tony Blair over the British rebate that is part of the EU budget. Paris was passed over yet again for the Olympic games despite a personal plea/presentation by Chirac to the International Olympic Commtittee in Singapore. Chirac has shown in the past that he will say or do anything to anyone to improve, albeit temporarily, his domestic position. President Bush and the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq know this all too well. I believe Chirac is untrustworthy and dishonorable, someone the US, UK, and other countries who are fighting the War on Terror cannot depend on. I hope and pray that the next President of the Fifth Republic (Nicolas Sarkozy) will bring France back to the fold of honorable and dependable countries who know and understand that we must fight the scurge of Islamic fundamentalism now before it's too late. But, I'm not holding my breath.