Because France was right? At Hullabaloo, we receive a reminder of what was known and suspected in the leadup to the Iraq War, and ignored by much of the American press. It's found in de Villepin's speech to the UN Security Council on March 7th, 2003.
(Oh, and see Howard Kurtz's trashing of Helen Thomas today on this very issue. Kurtz implicitly claims ignorance in order to make an ad hominem point. Seems to be a common feature of many commentators.).
1 comment:
Yes, they were right regarding the Iraq war, but you also can't blame the American public for backing up our President back when we trusted his word regarding WMD's being a true threat.
The reason being is we saved their butts twice and they have so easily forgotten the debt they owe us for being the major force in kicking out the Germans (yes, the British helped, but by that stage in the game, they were a pretty depleted force) and for re-building their country out of our own pockets.
Instead, anytime we visit their country, we're ridiculed and treated with disdain. I know this isn't true for all, but enough people have shared the same stories of snobbish behavior and refusal to help out a tourist spending money in their country (with one of their top industries being tourism) who is struggling to speak their language.
I have been to many countries, and France is the only place I've encountered such a blank wall of resistance to helping out a tourist, specifically one who is an American.
So, I guess you mix all those things together and you get a general feeling of dislike for a country whose memory is pitifully short.
They may not remember, but we're well aware that they can't fight a damn to save their own skin, but who will screech the loudest when their backs are up against a wall. Is that an unfair characterization? You bet, but take a look at any of their current Bestseller's lately, and I would call those an unfair characterization of Americans as well.
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