Free Republic

Chirac is the sick man of Europe, say French By c (Filed: 17/06/2005) Weakened and more unpopular than any French head of state in half a century, President Jacques Chirac was yesterday branded "the sick man of Europe" in his own country. Before leaving Paris for the European Union summit in Brussels, Mr Chirac suffered the ignominy of seeing his enfeebled state highlighted in the press. Opinion polls since the May 29 No vote on the EU constitution put his approval rating lower than any president since Gen Charles de Gaulle ushered in France's Fifth Republic in 1958. Even his...

American talk-show host Conan O'Brien turned out to be Conan the Barbarian on his road show into Canada this week. His NBC program threw oil and matches down our national fault line Thursday night with crude jokes about French Canadians. The show featured a puppet called Triumph the Insult Dog, which wandered around Quebec City's winter carnival, sporting a French beret. It stopped Quebecers in the street and said stuff like: "So you're French and Canadian, yes? So you're obnoxious and dull?" Also: "You're in North America. ... Learn the language!" Thanks for the insults, Conan. Somehow you forgot to...