Thomas Friedman: Vote France Off the Island

[Dragon]

Many leaders and intellectuals in the arab-world really took <b>Thomas Friedman</b> for a liberal and peace lover, the last initiative of peace over by the prince Adulallah of KSA was originally tailored by Friedman as the rumors go, anyway as it was rejected by Israel it's not our topic today.



Thomas Friedman starts his latest column on Feb 9th, 2003 in The New York Times, with the most sensible thing (of many sensible things) he's said in the past 12 months: "...I would certainly vote France off the Council and replace it with India." Amen, brother. There's one permanent anachronism on the UNSC. Friedman continues...(J/K)



<b>The French position is utterly incoherent. The inspections have not worked yet, says Mr. de Villepin, because Saddam has not fully cooperated, and, therefore, we should triple the number of inspectors. But the inspections have failed not because of a shortage of inspectors. They have failed because of a shortage of compliance on Saddam's part, as the French know. The way you get that compliance out of a thug like Saddam is not by tripling the inspectors, but by tripling the threat that if he does not comply he will be faced with a U.N.-approved war.



Mr. de Villepin also suggested that Saddam's government pass "legislation to prohibit the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction." (I am not making this up.) That proposal alone is a reminder of why, if America didn't exist and Europe had to rely on France, most Europeans today would be speaking either German or Russian.</b>



Come on guys, discover how liberal and peace lover this Friedman reall is:



<a href="http://www.naplesnews.com/03/02/perspective/d835554a.htm" target="_blank">http://www.naplesnews.com/03/02/perspective/d835554a.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.moun.com/Articles/feb2003/2-10-13.htm" target="_blank">http://www.moun.com/Articles/feb2003/2-10-13.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/columns/" target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/columns/</a>

[Dragon]

This is another jewel of Mr. Friedman especiall for his lovers among you:

Famed columnist Thomas Friedman, author of "From Beirut to Jerusalem," hints that the Iraqi people may be blamed if a war erupts. In his article on December 1, 2002
"Sodom Hussein's Iraq," Friedman questions whether there are 10 righteous Iraqis (an allusion to the Biblical Abraham's pleading with God not to destroy Sodom and Gommorah) who will want freedom and democracy enough to rat out their military secrets to UNMOVIC. In the Bible, we learn that Abraham could not find 10 righteous men in Sodom - the city was destroyed. Is Friedman calling for the destruction of Iraq? Sure he is.

<a href="http://www.intelmessages.org/Messages/National_Security/wwwboard/messages_02/2862.html" target="_blank">http://www.intelmessages.org/Messages/National_Security/wwwboard/messages_02/2862.html</a>

Very interesting topics for further readings:

<a href="http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/145962?it=317" target="_blank">http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/145962?it=317</a>

[hfsc_peace]

And that should tell you what the 'LIBERAL'S' in the USA think. There's not (in general) a lot of split on the danger we face.

I have a better one for you... this is from the Weekly Standard (The 2 major weekly 'opinion' mags in the US are Weekly Std ..conservative.. and The New Republic ..liberal)


How Many Frenchmen Does It Take . . .
Nobody likes an ingrate and a tide of anti-French sentiment is sweeping the American street.
by Fred Barnes
02/13/2003 12:00:00 AM
Fred Barnes, executive editor Weekly Standard



DO THE FRENCH have the slightest idea about how obnoxious they seem to many Americans? I suspect not, but then the French aren't all that self-aware in the first place. And the American press, hung up on anti-Americanism around the globe, has done little to inform anyone of the rippling tide of anti-French feeling here.

The simple fact is nobody likes an ingrate. It would be one thing if the French said they planned to sit out the war with Iraq. But it's quite another when the French actively try to undermine President Bush and prevent regime change in Iraq, as they're doing now. After all we've done for the French--saving their butts in World Wars I and II, taking over for them in Vietnam--this makes them ungrateful in the extreme--breathtakingly, unprecedentedly, and perhaps even unforgivably, ungrateful.

There's more than just anecdotal evidence of anti-French sentiment. There are polls. Gallup found that France's favorability among Americans has dropped 20 points in the past year. It's still at 59 percent, but that survey was taken in December. Since then, the French have gone out of their way to alienate the entire American population (except the hard-core left). My guess is a poll today would show that France is viewed far less favorably than in December.

But what about the anecdotal evidence? I give speeches and appear on TV and frequently criticize the French on Iraq, and I repeat every anti-French joke I've heard. I thought this might be politically incorrect. Au contraire. Americans of nearly all stripes appear to appreciate France-bashing. I haven't been chastised once, even after telling tough jokes zinging the French for their history of weakness, disloyalty, and fecklessness.

The jokes have taken on a life of their own. Americans love them. For instance, Jay Leno says it's no surprise the French won't help us get Saddam Hussein out of Iraq. They didn't help us get Germany out of France, either. Still, it's essential for them to join us in the war against Iraq. They can teach the Iraqis how to surrender.

And why are French streets tree-lined? So the Germans can march in the shade. How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris? No one knows. It's never been tried. What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up? The army. How many gears does a French tank have? Five, four in reverse and one forward (in case of attack from behind). FOR SALE: French rifles . . . never fired, only dropped once.

Dennis Miller specializes in anti-French humor. "The only way the French are going in is if we tell them we found truffles in Iraq," Miller says. "The French are always reticent to surrender to the wishes of their friends and always more than willing to surrender to the wishes of their enemies."

That last one is more than a joke. It's shrewd commentary. It captures why the French make such poor allies. When they pulled out of NATO 40 years ago and declared Americans must close down their bases in France, Secretary of State Dean Rusk had a bitterly caustic response. Should we dig up the graves of American soldiers in Normandy, too, and take them home? No French answer was recorded.


Fred Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard.

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Is Friedman calling for the destruction of Iraq? (not unless they use WMD on the people of the USA)

No he is asking if there are ANY Iraqis patriotic enough to SHOVE A STAKE IN SADDAM'S HEART (by going to the UN Inspectors with the 'goods'), nothing to do with the bible.

<b>Can anyone remember the poor soul who showed up with papers and asked the inspectors to get him out of the country?? They gave him back to the 'minders'</b>

[old_n_grumpy]

It wasn't long ago that the US proposed the vigorous inspection regime now advocated by the French. The US proposal was rejected by the French. The French also wanted Blix to head the inspection team because he was know to be less than comprehensive. Further, the French now reject enforcement of 1441, which was drafted by Powell to cater to their demands. It is the French who have backed themselves into a diplomatic corner, taking the Germans with them. It will be interesting to see how they get out of the fix they are in.

The Russians might have teamed up with the Nazis at the start of the war but they were not actually allied. The French on the other hand jumped on the Nazi band wagon first chance they got. They didn't even attack the Germans after declaring war in 1939. Their army was the equal of the Germans in every respect except will to fight and competent leadership. They threw in the towel the first chance they got and then allied with Germany. They are not to be trusted, ever, under any circumstances.

[Rohit]

Friedman has become an Indophile after his last visit to India.

But even if India were on the Sec Council, they would devise ways to hunt with the American hounds and run with the Iraqi hare.

There is too much at stake both at US and Iraq for us to take a decisive stand one way or another. In other words the Indian Government would hedge its bets.

Even though the Americans would label the French as nuts, I give them full credit for preventing the disaster of the Kosovo war by refusing to allow NATO arming of the KLA. Subsequently US realised and decided to ban senior KLA memnbers from ever entering US.

It is said that the US does the correct things but only after trying everything else first!!!

Therefore a Devil's advocate like France may perhaps be a necessary evil.

[Dragon]

<b>They threw in the towel the first chance they got and then allied with Germany. They are not to be trusted, ever, under any circumstances.</b>

For sure unless they resort to the truth and support blindly the the US aggression and plans to rule the world, right?

We refered to this Friedman regardless of his religion and real loyality, just because is very close of the decision makers in the States, and unfortunately became an advisor or tutor for many Arab leaders, we only ring an a bell here.

Well, France and Germany are not Iraq actually, and can't be possibly frightenrd by showing muscles, indeed never ever was it possible for the States to frighten any Folk even the Afghans.

Very big meals like ruling the worlds demand more than a cook actually, much more than one, even if this cook were his excellency Uncle Sam himself.