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Obviously if the French ambassador feels the need to state that "French-bashing is not very useful," then the reverse is true. France has opposed American interests for decades, but now their behavior is starting to exact a cost. This is true of French relations with both America's government and America's markets.

May the cries of dismay continue.

Oh no, the Fr4ench are getting serious...

France Withdraws Support from Jerry Lewis
U.S. offers Bulgaria $30 billion to hail him a genius

NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE

March 12 — In a sign of the deepening rift between France and the United States, France today announced that it was withdrawing its support from the actor-comedian Jerry Lewis.

“AS A NATION, from this day forth we will no longer consider Jerry Lewis a comic genius,” said French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin. “Nor will we be pressured into thinking he is funny.”
For years, France had isolated itself by being the only country in NATO to hail such Lewis films as “The Nutty Professor” and “The Bellboy,” as sublime achievements of a brilliant comic mind.
But by withdrawing its support from Jerry Lewis now, the nation that has long sustained the reputation not only of Lewis but also of the unshaven American actor Mickey Rourke is sending a strong signal that it will no longer be seduced by America’s dubious cultural icons.
“If I were Madonna I would be very, very concerned right now,” said Henri Broyard, an observer of the French cultural scene.
At the White House, aides to President Bush were taking the French announcement in stride, expressing confidence that they would soon find another nation to celebrate the work of Jerry Lewis.
While reports indicated that the administration was prepared to pay Bulgaria $30 billion to recognize the genius of Lewis there was some surprise that Britain’s Tony Blair had not offered to embrace his art.
But aides to Blair indicated that the prime minister’s popularity, already sagging due to his support for a war with Iraq, would be “irreparably harmed” if he said he thought Jerry Lewis was funny.

© 2003 Newsweek, Inc.