Victor Davis Hanson Ping !
Posted on 07/10/2004 10:12:54 AM PDT by quidnunc
For all the mayhem in the Sunni Triangle, and for all our mishaps at trying to reconstruct a pathological society reeling from 30 years of mass murder, we are beginning now to see the emergence of new civilized beginning in Iraq. Sadly our allies are mostly neutral, if not hostile to this radically new world, mostly out of spite, narrow self-interest, and deductive anger and envy of the United States. In the process, they have done the near impossible: lost the good will of the American people, a development that will have radical repercussions in the years ahead.
While a U.S., bloodied after 9-11, takes its greatest gamble in the last half-century to end the pathology of the Middle East, a Spanish government is toppled by a handful of al Qaeda thugs. The new inane socialist prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who once bragged of his appeasement of April, is now worried, and thus scurrying in a pathetic effort to “beef up” the 200-man Spanish contingent in Afghanistan — at least for now until bin Laden’s self-proclaimed armistice with Europe runs out and the next bomb goes off. When that happens, don’t count on a slandered US to come to the aid of Spain, which will have its hands full enough adjudicating the sovereignty of a few rocks off Morocco. The fiery French Defense Minister, after all, is now bragging that France has nukes and can protect Europe all by itself. Promises, promises.
So the Europeans haven’t got a clue what is going on right now in the world. Germany and France ankle-bite about a new proposed role for NATO in Afghanistan while Mr. Karzai accepts the Liberty medal in Philadelphia on July 4th. Go figure. A Chirac and Schroeder pronounce from thrones on Olympus that they cannot sanction the death penalty for Saddam — as if they were asked or anyone cared.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at victorhanson.com ...
FYI
If it were up to the rest of the world, Jean Cheri-Jean Edouard would already be governing the United States.
Personally, I will stand by and simply nod when al Qaeda attacks Europe.
Their fealty will not appease the terror masters and frankly, the little children of 'Old Europe' need to grow up.
We've bailed out France's ass far more than their support in the 1770's warrants, especially considering their designs on our nascent country.
All I can say is: Right on brother.
"But if they are wrong and Mr. Kerry thus loses—then most Americans between New York and Los Angeles will have a long, long memory."
Yes indeed.
BFL
Except that isn't going to happen unless AQ is HItler-esque in its stupidity. Why should they attack the Euros when they have neutered them and can attack us, the more dangerous enemy? They can always mop of that bunch of clowns.
If they persist in this madness, there may come a moment in the not-too distant future when we will have to act to strip France of her remaining overseas possessions and her nuclear weapons.
Interesting thought. I wonder if any U.S. SSNs have ever been tasked with tracking French SSBNs. I would expect so.
Money quote
"This is surprising only if you thought France was now a neutral, rather than a de facto enemy of the United States."
From VDH's capable keyboard to God's Flatscreen HD Monitor...
I was just having this argument with my liberal sister on July 4th: She was whining about how, because of Bush, the rest of the world hates America now. I said, "Au contraire (you have to speak French to liberals, or they just don't understand you), it is the reprehensible gutlessness of Chirac and Schroeder and the U.N. Oil for Bribes gang that have made AMERICANS hate Old Europe! Don't you get it! We're not the bad guys!"
Of course, she did not get it.
BTTT
Remember when Britain sank the French navy after the Vichy govt. collaborated with Hitler?
Oh, yes.
I also remember Vichy French forces firing on Americans when we were entering Morocco. Not much, they surrendered fast, but it was there.
I've been an avocational student of military history for ~35 years, since I was around 10, and know my WWII history pretty well. Watching the French now, and looking back more critically, I see the French in WWII as less and less an ally, and more and more as a slight impediment / obstacle. A good number helped our cause, but they were probably about evenly offset by those who didn't, and worked against us / at cross purposes to us.
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