[cookcounty]

"The Americans and British are literal-minded people. We encounter difficulties in diplomacy with the Irish or the Spanish or the Chinese, never mind the Iraqis, because other societies possess a different attitude to verbiage."

".......never mind the Iraqis? Shouldn't that be ......Never mind the French?!!!

They defined "immediate" in resolution 1441 as "all eternity!" And they did it with straight faces!!

[AndyJackson]

Never mind the French

Sorry to burst your bubble. You will have to explain the behavior of the French some other way. There is no country on earth that works harder to maintain purity of the meaning of words and clarity of expression. Well-written French is a joy to read. A well-written French article that I read explained that the problem is that French men only separate from their mothers at age 49 or something.