French begged Bush to take call

The Daily Telegraph ^ | April 17, 2003 | Toby Harnden

[MadIvan]

A clear-the-air telephone call between President Jacques Chirac and President George W Bush this week was secured only by repeated pleading from French diplomats, it emerged yesterday. The 20-minute call on Tuesday was the first time they had spoken for more than two months.

When asked if the talk had been "positive", Ari Fleischer, Mr Bush's spokesman, said: "From the President's point of view, he would call it a business-like conversation." M Chirac's spokesman said he had been "pragmatic" about post-war Iraq.

Before the call could be arranged, Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to Washington, had to lobby Karl Rove, Mr Bush's chief political strategist, and Stephen Hadley, the deputy national security adviser, at the White House.

Final American agreement to the call was secured only after discussions on Monday between Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, and Dominique de Villepin, the French foreign minister.

Last week, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defence secretary, told senators: "The French have behaved in ways . . . that have been very damaging to Nato. I think France is going to pay some consequences, not just with us but with other countries."

A senior Bush administration official told The Washington Post: "What the French did . . . was serious and, yes, it is a problem. How much of a problem and how lasting it is going to be depend on the French. They can choose to make it much more serious, in which case the consequences will be there, and it will be very bad."

Mr Bush is known for being extremely slow to forgive those who have crossed him, particularly if he feels that they have been disloyal or dishonest. He was livid with Gerhard Schröder after the Chancellor's election campaign, which was widely seen as anti-American.

The anger towards France is deeper and more pervasive. French firms have suffered a loss of income from cancelled American orders and officials argue that the successful French attempt to scupper a second United Nations resolution extended far beyond M Chirac.

Mr Powell is understood to be still furious about the way in which he was treated by M de Villepin when he was called to a meeting supposedly about the international war against terrorism, only to be surprised by the French foreign minister declaring France's opposition to war with Iraq.

[dighton]

Pardon me while I laugh my head off at the idea of the French begging. ;)

Chirac being what he is, he should have no trouble crawling.

[schaketo]

NEVER FORGET!

Here's the long version refresher course:

15000 french products that you can boycott

http://howtobuyamerican.leethost.com/b-db-boycottfrance.shtml

[Bluntpoint]

If the French want communication with this administration, they need to go through Helen Thomas. She has Bush's ear.

[justshe]

Oopsie!

[BillF]

Pardon me while I laugh my head off at the idea of the French begging.

As one U.S. Marine was quoted somewhere, "the French are always with us when they need us."

And the "they" he was talking about was the U.S., but it applies as well to our valiant British cousins!

[Dubya]

bump

[SupportDubya]

President Bush should tell the French that first they must personally apologize to the families of all the coalition troops that have given their lives while the French were sitting on their butts probably listening to the Dixie Chicks! Grrrrrrr!!!

[Sunsong]

Shouldn't they have to beg on camera? :-)

[Paulus Invictus]

No no, Ivan! Please don't lose your head. We need it!
I particularly enjoy your posts and comments as they correct many incoming articles and comments from leftist media I get from the UK from my daughter who lives in the People's Socialist City of London.

[Paulus Invictus]

You'll have to ask Monica.

[lainie]

Mine too. Right or wrong, I always say one woman's grudge is another woman's good memory.

[MJY1288]

From what I have read about that relationship, he didn't accomplish much there either...... at least from Monica's perspective :-)

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Fantastic!

Regards,

DMWT

[Happygal]

Hehehe...

reading this is the perfect end to an otherwise crappy day! :-)

[MeekOneGOP]

[RightOnline]

The French had best get used to the concept of kissing American ass.

[McGavin999]

Dubya is going to give this to Tony as a gift. It's going to appear that the only way back is through Tony Blair. You can already see the plan in the works.

[MadIvan]

It's an American (as well as British) trait to despise arse kissers though.

Regards, Ivan

[dodger]

Pardon me while I laugh my head off at the idea of the French begging. ;)

Indeed, all this gives a new imagery to 'French Maid's Costume' as one can see M. Chirac even now, feather duster & all.

[xsmommy]

i know, that warms my heart!