Le Monde's Partisan Article on Weblogs

True to nature, the independent newspaper's Le Monde 2 weekly has articles that are baffling in their partisanship.

Most remarkably, issue 40 (November 20) has a story on "the blog shock", in which it proceeds to parrot Paris's partisan viewpoint.

Straight away (in the opening sentence of the subhead), the tone is given: "The Iraq war is the first www.war" said the Times of London in March. Indeed, hundreds of Iraqi blogs describing the country's occuption, the attacks and life in Baghdad give a different story than that of the 'embedded' press."

Completely ignoring Iraq's pro-American blogs (dare I say Iraq's pro-freedom-from-torture,-from-sadistic-thugs,-from-censorship,-and-from-dictatorial-government blogs?); completely ignoring the fact that the very existence of the blogs (no matter what their tone and viewpoints) is due to the American intervention of March 2003; completely ignoring the fact that the pro-American blogs usually have a (far) longer blogroll than the antis; completely ignoring the fact that embedded journalists were entirely correct not to follow in the footsteps of their couch potato colleagues predicting a long and bloody war, a mass of refuges, Saddamgrad, and other tragedies; completely ignoring the Iraqi people, for that matter, Frédéric Joignot lends credence to the belief that journalists (or citizens) not castigating, mocking, or bemoaning the American presence in Iraq can be nothing but liars, poodles, or dupes; and that gratefully, a popular groundswell of humanists is rising to fight back at America, if not with weapons, then with words.

Joignot proceeds to list a handful of Iraqi blogs that are supposedly among the hundreds telling the truth about the horrors and the devastation in Iraq (Where's Raed, Baghdad Burning, etc), and it ends the list with… Healing Iraq. Now I never heard that webmaster Zeyad was all-out against the war, but it turns out that this is how Le Monde 2 proceeds (or how the European press proceeds):

Either they remain vague about the blog mentioned, or they search through all the weblog entries for the rare critical comment, or for a comment that can be constructed as being critical. Le Monde 2 even mentions the Healing Iraq entry mentioned above (in which Zeyad corrects the Times' estimate of people in a peace demonstration) being quoted in (and on) the Weekly Standard (as if even they were beginning to see through the lies of the Bush administration)!

For an example of their way of proceeding, how could anyone broach the story of blogs without mentioning the granddaddy of weblogs? Well, Joignot does mention InstaPundit. But all he writes, basically, is that it got 200,000 hits during the Iraq war, followed by a quote from the Blogs of War, in which Glenn Reynolds writes that weblogs say what journalists don't dare say. In other words, because nothing else is said about InstaPundit, the impression comes across that Glenn Reynolds is part of the (imagined) world-wide popular wave trying to stand up to (and only to) the Bush administration, its "lies", and its "illegal" war (as well as Yankee capitalism and imperialism).

That is what is most galling (no pun intended) about the article: the numerous weblogs which are pro-invasion and/or pro-Bush (basically, at least) but which are quoted out of context or not at all. Needless to say, Le Monde 2 doesn't mention any blog (or blog entry) that is critical of France (or the Chirac adminstration) — certainly not Le Monde Watch. And certainly not Iraq the Model.

Justement, here is what Iraq the Model's Ali had to say about Jacques Chirac's recent comments in London (hat tip to Tom Penn, emphasis mine):

I heard what Mr. Chirac said few days ago and read about it everywhere I turn my head to. At first, it was something I felt I shouldn’t even bother to listen to. It was something like what Al Jazeera keep showing us or what Arab leaders say all the time. But again this was a president of one of the most advanced and civilized countries in our times. It wasn’t Kaddafi or Assad and it made me sad and furious.

The French government keep surprising me with their intentionally stupid and vicious arguments and I don’t know what to say about it or if it’s even necessary to say something at all. But then I’m an Iraqi citizens and these people are taking about Iraq and usually how the war brought nothing good to Iraq or the world, and I just can’t stay silent about it. I know there’s almost no chance that you’ll read my words Mr. Chirac, but it doesn’t matter, as I’m not writing for you anyway. You live in a different world.

In the past, I used to swallow my anger and frustration because I could get killed if I messed up with one of Saddam’s personal friends, but now Saddam is gone and I’m not afraid and I won’t stay silent anymore. This is a difference Mr. Chirac, and it’s a great one, probably just to me and the rest of Iraqis but not to you, and you just have to understand that it’s not all about you and your European dream which no one want to steal from you by the way.

The world is certainly not a better place after the war Mr. Chirac, but that’s your world, while our world, Iraqis as well as tens of millions of oppressed people everywhere who are dying for some help, is certainly MUCH better now, and I’m sure the Americans and the British world as well as most countries (including yours) is better and safer and will keep getting better. However I agree with you, as your world, your own personal world, the world of your fellow corrupt politicians in France, Russia, Germany, China and the stinking UN, your fortune and your influence is definitely suffering. I’m even surprised that you ‘saw’ that Saddam’s departure was positive “to a certain extent”, and I can’t wonder why is that! Is it because it left you with some bills you don’t have to pay?!

Is my language too offensive?! Not as half as offensive and irritating as yours and I will NEVER apologize, not even after you apologize and pay the Iraqis back all the money you have stolen from us in return for supporting your partner, Saddam and keeping him in charge for few more years.

You see, your problem and what separate you from men like Tony Blair is that you look only for what you might gain, and again “you” is not the French people, but rather you in person and the bunch of hypocrites that so sadly control the French people and manipulate them through lies and silly arguments. You never cared what would happen to Iraqis and the rest of the world had Saddam stayed in power, while Tony Blair did. Do you know why? Because he and the British government with all the brave British people live in our world, while you don’t.

Stupid British! Why should they care for us, America or their own kids when they can do exactly like you; take advantage of America’s need, blackmail her, support Saddam without taking much risk and gain billions of dollars.

Stupid British! Haven’t they learned from WW2 when you got your country back and even decided the fate of other nations on victory even though half of you made peace with the Nazis!? You certainly don’t owe the British and the Americans anything for that, as it was just their own stupidity not to do the math and see how much would they gain. Their lands weren’t invaded and the Nazis were trying to make a peace with them, yet they refused and fought as hard as men and women can fight to free your country for you, so that your troops could march victoriously in Paris! And you dare say that the US doesn’t repay favors!??

If you don’t like the world after Saddam, and if you miss him that much, you can keep living in your own world and we won’t bother you ...at all.

Lire la traduction de American Boy

Strangely enough, Iraq the Model was not mentioned in Frédéric Joignot's Le Monde 2 article, (but perhaps I already mentioned that?). Comme c'est bizarre…

"If you want to see true Islam, you must…"

Last week, Ralph Peters had an inspiring conversation with a Muslim-American.

An immigrant from Pakistan, [the latter] hadn't yet been granted citizenship, but he had more faith in America than our native-born elite does.

"I write to my brothers and sisters," he said, "And I tell them that they do not know true Islam. If you want to see true Islam, you must come to America."

He meant the social justice and the respect for the individual, rich or poor, prescribed by the Koran. He had not found those qualities in the land of his birth. Nor do they prevail in any Muslim state between Casablanca and Karachi.

Islam sets high standards for the daily behavior of its adherents — but all too often the Koran's calls for fairness, charity and common decency are rejected in favor of social strictures misinterpreted by bitter old men and fanatics. The oppression of women, terrorism and the police states of the Middle East were not part of the Prophet Mohammed's vision.

My Muslim friend had recently found yet another reason to believe in America — in a place the rest of us would overlook. Coming from a land where the rich can even murder with impunity, he was thrilled that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps had to face drunken-driving charges.

"Seven gold medals!" my friend said. "He is a hero, sir! And still he must face the court!

"It is not hidden away because he is powerful. This is very good, this is Islam."

The crime and possible punishment of young Mr. Phelps looks very different to a man born where the poor are eternal victims. …

(Thanks to Gregorio)

One of the Greatest Triumphs of American Arms

Jack Kelly on Victory in Fallujah:

Fallujah ranks up there with Iwo Jima, Inchon and Hue as one of the greatest triumphs of American arms, though you'd have a hard time discerning that from what you read in the newspapers.

The swift capture of Fallujah is taxing the imagination of Arab journalists and — sadly — our own. How does one portray a remarkable American victory as if it were of little consequence, or even a defeat? …

The resistance has suffered a loss of more than 2,000 combatants, out of a total force estimated by U.S. Central Command at about 5,000 (other estimates are higher) as well as its only secure base in the country. But both the Arab media and ours emphasize that the attack on Fallujah has made a lot of Arabs mad. By this logic, once we've killed all the terrorists, they'll be invincible.

"The experience of human history has been the more people you kill, the weaker they get," [former Canadian army officer John] Thompson noted.

For the Arab and European media, the old standby is to allege American atrocities. …

Journalists quick to judge the Marine [shooting a wounded Iraqi feigning death] are more forgiving when it comes to the terrorists. "They're not bad guys, especially, just people who disagree with us," said MSNBC's Chris Matthews.

(Shookhran to Gregory S)

Le Petit Baudelaire illustré

A small pause in the blogging to announce a book which was illustrated by a friend who passed away prematurely :

Une sélection de poèmes de Baudelaire, tirés des Fleurs du Mal et du Spleen de Paris illustrés par Philippe Rosenthal. Quand le poète inspire le peintre… une très bonne raison de redécouvrir Baudelaire !

Acheter le livre online…
Lire les premières pages

The Stunning Charles de Gaulle

Today is the birthday of Charles de Gaulle, the French general and president (1890-1970) who allegedly told Winston Churchill, regarding the aid and efforts that the Americans and British had provided for the liberation of France from her Nazi overlords:

We shall stun you with our ingratitude.

Why is there is so little French criticism of French policy among French elites?

John Zvesper of the Ashbrook Center asks

why is there is so little French criticism of French policy among French elites? Why does this critical capacity not extend from my bistro chef to French journalists and politicians?

Read about the type of questions French journalists neglect, questions that are "the most important" of all…

Voltaire, the Man Frenchmen Love to Quote

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong

Today is the birthday of Voltaire, the French philosopher and author (1694-1778) who said

A company of tyrants is inaccessible to all seductions

A witty saying proves nothing

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities

And

Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law

Last but not least, Voltaire is the man Frenchmen love to quote as saying

I may not agree with you, but I will fight for your right to be able to say it

except that if, in the final analysis, you do not conclude (or you do not agree with the analysis) that the French are more humanistic, more wise, more humble, more brotherly, more generous, and more visionary than everybody else (especially those oafish Americans), that the type of society the French live in is conducive to such a fraternal state in every citoyen, and that French foreign policy invariably follows those humanistic principles, they (the French) will lose interest in what you have to say, snort in mockery, fly into a rage, and/or ask what are you doing living in France if you don't think that way…

RFK on Living in a Turbulent World

Today is the birthday of Robert F. Kennedy, the US Politician (1925-1968) who said

All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.

Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.

Standing Up to the Yanquis, Kowtowing to Fidel

Since Spain's left of centre government took power in March, Madrid has been most active in lobbying to revise the EU's common position to the Cuban opposition, Andrew Beatty writes in the EU Observer.

Diplomats said on Tuesday that they would continue to engage with Cuba's opposition but were looking to do so in a more productive way, leaving the path open for talks with government officials.

In real terms, this means that the EU would put an end to the largely symbolic move of inviting dissidents to national festivities at EU embassies, a move that has seen Havana restrict European diplomats' access to top Cuban officials.

The Spanish leaders (foremost among them R2D2, I mean, Mister Bean) wanting to break off with Cuban opposition figures for the sake of relations with Fidel Castro are the same humanists who haughtily state that they should "no longer be subordinated" or "kneeling" before the perfidious Yanks and who refuse to stand for the American flag. Isn't it good to know to what extent Europeans — contrary to those oafish Americanos — have their priorities straight?

Strangely enough, Zapatero's "move has not gone down well with Cuban pro-democracy campaigners." Said Oswaldo Paya, a 2002 laureate of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize:

[The EU governments] can act according to their interests and abandon this ethical position, for reasons of their interests. But what no-one can say, without insulting our intelligence, is that to abandon this position and destroy these acts and symbols is in the interests of Cuba and peaceful change.

Don't forget to read John Vinocur's
piece on Spain's double-language
and its relations with Washington
(the final sentence is priceless)

Before, there was no support from European leaders. Now, in many cases, in many countries, unfortunately including my own, anti-Americanism doesn't come from the street, but from the governments themselves.

José María Aznar

(Gracias para GS y BarcaPundit)

Fuck fear	La peur, c'est pour les nazes (et surtout pour les franchouilles)
Make the myths.	Forgez les mythes.

Against us tyranny's Bloody standard is raised	Contre nous de la tyrannie L'étendard sanglant est levé
More French scum snuffed out in Iraq. Kill faster. Total war.	Encore des raclures de chiottes franchouilles clamsées en Irak. Tuer plus vite. Guerre totale.

How Could They?!…

How could America have voted for Dubya?!

Didn't any of us read the European editorials? Didn't we hear the mal mots directed at Bush whenever he traveled overseas? Didn't we know Bush is not — repeat not — considered cool by Europe's ultra-intellectual chattering classes?

Apparently not.

Read Euro-Angst…
(Thanks to Gregory Schreiber)

U.S. Soldiers Doing the Job (of)…

No way you can be more racist that the French	Plus raciste que les franchouilles, tu meurs
Chiraq in Marseilles 14 November: 'Africans are naturally happy'.	Chirak à Marseilles le 14/11: 'Les Africains sont joyeux par nature'.

Arise children of the fatherland Al-Jazira, The day of glory has arrived	Allons, enfants de la Patrie Al-Jazeera, Le jour de gloire est arrivé
French djiahdist, from the Seine-Saint-Dénis, blows himself up in a Baghdad suicide attack. I suppose his stinking family back in its chicken coop welfare apartment is rightfully proud.	Un jihadiste franchouille, résidant dans le 9-cube de son vivant, se fait sauter dans un attentat suicide à Bagdad. Je suppose que sa famille merdique, dans son apart' clapier à lapins HLM, est justifiablement fière de lui.

Cancer mutates into Tsimtsoûm	Cancer se mue en Tsimtsoûm
MiF is now a member of the counter-counter-culture.	MiF est désormais membre de la contre-contre-culture.

Has the Iraq War Led to an Increase in Terrorism?

Jacques Chirac, who led European opposition to the March 2003 invasion, arrives in London on Thursday for annual summit talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, George W Bush's staunchest ally on Iraq, says the AFP:

On the eve of an official visit to London, French President Jacques Chirac said he is "not at all sure" that the world has become safer since the downfall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

That's because you never bothered asking the Iraqi population, Monsieur le Président.

In a BBC television interview, … Chirac suggested that the situation in Iraq — where US forces are still locked in battle with insurgents — has helped to prompt an increase in terrorism.

That's because you do not equate terrorism with state policemen violating citizens' homes with impunity to take away its inhabitants to be tortured and killed, Monsieur le Président.

"To a certain extent Saddam Hussein's departure was a positive thing," said Chirac when asked if the world was now a safer place, as US President George W. Bush has repeatedly stated.

You say "to a certain extent" only because you never had to live in the psychopath's Iraq as a common citizen, Monsieur le Président.

"But it also provoked reactions, such as the mobilisation in a number of countries, of men and women of Islam, which has made the world more dangerous," he said.

If you say the mobilization in a number of countries, Monsieur le Président, it is because thanks to Uncle Sam, the mobilization of a number of countries, i.e., state- or government-sponsored terrorism — and governments' willingness to sponsor terrorism in general — has come to a virtual end.

"There's no doubt that there has been an increase in terrorism and one of the origins of that has been the situation in Iraq. I am not at all sure that one can say that the world is safer."

Oui et non, Monsieur le Président: there has been a decrease in state-sponsored terrorism (as stated above), but you are entirely correct in saying that the origins of that decrease is the situation in Iraq (and Afghanistan). You are also correct in pointing to an increase in individual-based terrorism inside of Iraq. But that is due in no small matter to the anger — nay, the fury — of those individual terrorists, and terrorist groups, over having lost their state-sponsored governments and the willingness of any government, in that region or elsewhere, to support their activities in the near future.

(Cheers to Gregory Schreiber)

Axis of Eiffel

As so-called French intellectuals like to say,
the war to liberate Iraq was indeed about blood and oil
— American and Iraqi blood and French oil

Yahoo Financial News printed this a week before Arafat died…

Geopolitics: A gravely ill Yasser Arafat's final journey to Paris has reunited the father of modern-day terrorism with the birthplace of modern-day appeasement.

Arafat's presence in Jacques Chirac's France must warm the hearts of America's enemies who cite our support for Israel and our liberation of Iraq as the prime motivations behind their desire to do us harm.

The French government's opposition to our Iraq policy seems less rooted in principle and more rooted in cash. As so-called French intellectuals like to say, the war to liberate Iraq was indeed about blood and oil — American and Iraqi blood and French oil.

French oil company TotalFinaElf had exclusive rights to develop the Nahr Umar and Majnoon oil fields, which hold 25% of Iraq's reserves. Some 60 French companies did $1.5 billion in trade with Iraq under the U.N. oil-for-food program. France controlled 22.5% of Iraq's imports. And, most important, from 1981 to 2001, France sold Iraq 13% of its arms imports.

Soon after Desert Storm in 1991, French oil companies Total SA and Elf Aquitaine, which later merged to become TotalFinaElf, signed secret and exclusive deals with Saddam Hussein's regime to develop future Iraqi oil fields, deals estimated to be worth $100 billion over a seven-year period. They were conditioned on the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iraq and the avoidance of war.

Enter the U.N.'s corrupt oil-for-food program. A French bank, BNP Paribas, handled the oil-for-food accounts that provided Saddam a slush fund to build palaces, buy foreign weapons and bribe foreign leaders. A number of movers and shakers in France — including government officials and friends of Chirac — got rich.

France built the Osirak nuclear reactor outside Baghdad, which Israel destroyed in 1981 and which would have given Saddam a nuclear weapon by the time he invaded Kuwait, making the world a very different place.

And by 1989 an estimated half of French arms output went to Iraq. It was an Iraqi French-built Mirage fighter firing a French-made Exocet missile that hit the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf on May 17, 1987, killing 37 American sailors. …

(Thanks to Gregory Schreiber)

Anti-Americanism and Its Double Standards

From Spain:

… adding up to the usual leftists' anti-Americanism, they are also still resenting that the Eisenhower administration helped ending Spain's isolation and gave the country international respectability for the first time since the end of the Civil War (examplified by the iconic hug between Franco and Eisenhower when the US president landed in Madrid for his historic visit, the first one by a mejor head of state since the end of the conflict). Oddly, the US-Spanish treaty of 1952 started the economic development that trickled down towards a gradual social and political modernization, which ultimately lead to a successful democratic transition after Franco's death. I'm saying it's odd because the same people who where protesting regime change in Iraq by the US because "you can't bring democracy with guns, but with engagement and pressure" are also complaining that the US engaged and pressured (as much as it was reasonable during the Cold War, of course) the Spanish dictatorship toward relaxing its authoritarian rule.

… I wonder how someone against regime change via war can also be against peaceful regime change (engagement, pressure plus a targeted decapitation, perhaps). Maybe it's just the Revel rule: "reproaching the United States for some shortcoming, and then for its opposite ... a convincing sign that we are in the presence not of rational analysis, but of obsession."

Barcepundit has more…

Powell's out, Condi's in ...	Powell sort, Condi le remplace ...
... and the French try to roll with punches.	... et les franchouilles encaissent.
He was a false hawk.
Powell: I'm going to go now. Hey, I'm talking to you. Bush: Sshhh! I'm praying.

Zeropa takes it up the ass	La Zéropa se fait ramoner grave
The United States will never again run the gauntlet for the United Nazions.	Les Etats-unis ne passeront plus jamais sous les Fourches Caudines de l'ONUzi.

Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs	Y'a bon Banania

Mais… c'est injuste ! You Do Not Understand! La France, elle, Is Acting in Good Faith!

No, no, no! The French and the UN are the good guys. It's the Americans, and the Bush administration, that you need to demonize and protest against. They are the ones who are the murderers and colonialists and imperialists…

And just give the UN a bit more time… Then you will see that they will pull everything together, as by magic… Understanding is the key… Have patience, exercise tolerance, and you will see that this attitude of trust can only cause everyone to come together…

Yes, and scandals involve American soldiers having fired on Iraqi civilians and having heaped abuse upon Abu Ghraib prisoners, and nothing else…

If only you read the French press (as well as some of the comments of certain people on this website) and watched French TV, you would understand that — whereas the Americans are ever and always guilty of blockheadedness, simplicity, greed, and/or treachery — it always turns out that, in the last resort, the French, eux, are acting in good faith; there are always rational reasons explaining their largest error; and for anyone — anyone — to put this into doubt can only be labelled grossly unfair.

Certainly, you should be more intelligent than listen to Ian Robinson when he castigates a "peace camp" member's

preposterous pacifism, belief in nonsense such as "soft power" and fidelity to a morally bankrupt United Nations overrun with tin-pot dictators and other left-wing idiocies

or when the Calgary Sun columnist writes that

America invades Iraq without UN approval and America is portrayed as a barbarian striding across the world stage. Recently, France essentially invaded the Ivory Coast to protect its interests there ... without asking the UN squat. Just pointing out the hypocrisy.

And needless to say, you should not listen to Victor Hanson, when he writes that

Europe offers a … paradox. Our Western cousins have chosen a path far different from our own, on almost every social, economic, and military issue. Throughout this war Europeans have snickered that over-the-top Americans blast their way across the globe, leaving needless wreckage in their wake, in their Team America-like search for mythical jihadists. But ask the Dutch, who, as thanks for crafting the most liberal society in Europe, are now living in fear of a jihadist assassination campaign. Or talk to the Spanish — whose appeasement after the Madrid bombing earned them an Islamist plot to obliterate their Supreme Court judges. France — in its old blow-up-Greenpeace mood — claims that it only supports the use of force in extremis, but then almost immediately exploded the tiny air force of the Ivory Coast on news that nine of its soldiers were killed, prompting thousands of Africans to hit the streets in anti-Gallic rage.

The only difference in the American use of force has been one of magnitude: We lose 3,000 — not 9 — and send out 1,000 planes — not 3 — when attacked. Why does France get a pass in its postcolonial interventions? Simply because there are no French to criticize them. For all the European hysteria over the reelection of George Bush, I would wager that privately, leaders there are sighing with relief that a resolute U.S. is fighting the Islamists, taking the heat, and supplying them with both emotional and material cover at no cost. How can you buy off the Iranians to drop their bomb plans without fear by the mullahs that a cowboy George Bush is the dreaded alternative? [Emphasis on the double standards mine]

George Bush thus will get no credit for elections replacing the Taliban or for the liberation of women in Afghanistan, much less for democracy in Iraq. Instead he will be the target of constant venom for the human costs of war, with the silent proviso that he is not to cease, lest a Holland, France, or Spain become even more besieged by anti-Western jihadists emboldened by American appeasement. Indeed, Bush must endure elite European hatred, even as the majority there silently expects the United States to maintain the alliance and protect the West.

(Thanks to Gregory, Vik, Joe, and FR Hoffmann)

Of Course, the Threat of Gbagbo's Ivory Coast Is Far Greater than Saddam's Iraq Ever Was

Quick: What Western power bypassed the U.N. recently, ignored the international community and launched a pre-emptive attack against the forces of a sovereign foreign government?

Why . . . France, of course.

… And, so far, the closest thing to WMDs that's been found is . . . chocolate. (It can lead to deadly obesity, n'est-ce pas?)

Which raises a question: Did that cowboy, Jacques Chirac, fear President Laurent Gbagbo's forces would attack Paris?

… The irony in the strike by the French, who criticized President Bush's war against a real threat in Iraq, is, of course, hilarious. France did what it wanted (but don't expect U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to call it "illegal").

The New York Post

The French are now doing EVERYTHING they accused the United States of prior to and during the war with Iraq!

Aucun sang pour le chocolat!

Lire le bloc-notes d'Ivan Rioufol…

A Nation Crippled By Dishonest Pacifism

Ian Robinson:

Canada has become a nation crippled by a dishonest pacifism. Rather than announce we're wimps, we pretend in the councils of the powerful that we'll send our soldiers to fight ... but only if the stars are aligned just so.

We'll send "peacekeepers," an abominable word that denies the reality that it is only the application of brute and vicious force in the disordered and deadly precincts of the world that can ensure peace.

In that perspective, I thought that peace was not anything that could be imposed, especially by Western countries using military means. Isn't that the lesson constantly being given to Uncle Sam and his simplistic citizens?…

Oh, and while we're on the subject of Canada, here is what the Toronto Sun's Bob MacDonald has to say:

…that's the quiet way Bush operates. He greatly appreciates such loyal allies as [José Maria] Aznar or British PM Tony Blair or Australian PM John Howard.

He doesn't shout it from the rooftops, but he also doesn't appreciate such fair-weather Canadian "friends" as [Jean] Chretien and [Paul] Martin. The only thing that will heal that situation is time — and real supporting action by Canada.

What does that tell you about condescending "peace camp" members putting the onus on Dubya and haughtily asking him (demanding of him, really) that he resort to action to heal the rifts of the past?

(Thanks to FR Hoffmann, eh?)

Simplifying, Misunderstanding, and Condescending to the People Who Voted for Bush

Peter Schramm writes that "The mainstream media and the liberals (and the French) are already starting to try to have their spin color the election returns: Bush's victory was not broad-based; it was tied to angry evangelicals voting, egged on by homophobia. Liberals are insular in their thinking and this insularity, which has caused them to lose touch with the rest of the country, now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. While this is just the start—other spins will follow—it is worth noting, and David Brooks has already reacted to it. He argues that it was a broad and deep victory for Bush":

Every election year, we in the commentariat come up with a story line to explain the result, and the story line has to have two features. First, it has to be completely wrong. Second, it has to reassure liberals that they are morally superior to the people who just defeated them.

In past years, the story line has involved Angry White Males, or Willie Horton-bashing racists. This year, the official story is that throngs of homophobic, Red America values-voters surged to the polls to put George Bush over the top.

This theory certainly flatters liberals, and it is certainly wrong …

John Moser adds that

It matters little that Kerry had explanations for all of [his] positions, and that he seemed to address them satisfactorily in his three debates against Bush. What mattered ultimately was that he needed to explain them at all. And this gets down to the real difference between the two men in this race—George W. Bush was Andrew Jackson; John Kerry was Woodrow Wilson.

The President, like Jackson before him, didn’t need to explain his views. Jackson’s views struck most people as nothing more than common sense…

Jacksons try to tailor their message to the desires and fears of the average person. Wilsons tell the average people that their desires and fears are irrational, and try to convince them that they should want something else.

Jacksons lay out their agenda clearly, in simple black-and-white terms. Wilsons tell people how complicated the world is, suggesting that public affairs is therefore best left in the hands of an educated elite.

Jacksons act decisively in defending what they see as the national interest. Wilsons fret about the "international community."

Gratitude a la française

We are waiting impatiently for that to happen

Foreign Minister Michel Barnier

How about un merci (even a small one) to American forces for having solved one third of France's hostage problem in Iraq (albeit admittedly not the French nationals themselves)?…

(Merci to Gregory)

Kill faster. Total war.	Tuer plus vite. Guerre totale.
A US marine from the 3/5 Lima company

French girly-man on the rag	Mec femmelette franchouille a ses ragnanas
Chiraq is on the rag when it comes to the States. Now he can get all that 'girl talk' out of his system with Condi.	Dès qu'il s'agit des States, Chirak a ses ragnanas. Maintenant il peut discuter tant qu'il voudrait 'entre filles' avec Condi.

Good for dead ends, garbage dumps, and shit holes	C'est bon pour les culs-de-sac, les dépotoires, et les trous à merde
French consider naming streets after Arafat.	Les franchouilles étudient la possibilité de nommer des rues d'après Arafat.

The Iraq Crisis Is All America's Fault!

And if, instead of resorting to war, those simplistic, reactionary, and trigger-happy Yanks had only listened to the dispassionate, reasonable, and disinterested views of the "peace camp" and the United Nations, and had chosen the path of dialogue with with Saddam Hussein, everyone would be far better off…

Alot of noise for a snuffed scumbag terrorist	Beaucoup de battage pour un fumier de terroriste clamsé
Impotent French call for a State for the Pali Psycho Death Cult©®™ now!	Les franchouilles impuissants exigent un Etat immédiatement pour le Culte Psychotique de la Mort palestinien©®™!

The 2004 Election in the Words of Dr Seuss

Driving through Utah's Bryce Canyon (yeah, I needed a vacation after all the blogging I did right up to the election, plus I simply did not want to spend November 2 in France, whoever won), I came upon a copy of the Cedar City Daily News. On the letters page, there was this from a Brent J Lewis:

They won without Hollywood, and its political hags
They won without Dan Rather and CBS's forged packages and bags
They won without Soros, elitists, and France
They won without activist judges wearing robes over their pants
They won without secular humanism's self-righteous ire
They won without the New York Times' liberal bar
They won without Michael Moore's phony "Fahrenheit 9/11"
They won without Jesse Jackson and his prayers to heaven
They won without Bill, Hillary, and Al Gore
They won without pop music, Whoopie Goldberg, and much, much more

So, as these liberal Democrats continue to puzzle and puzzle some more
A bright light is dawning and could heal their sore
With hand in hand and heart to heart
America stood tall and voted its part
It is from the good book out of which America was born
that again shines morals and values and faith ever strong
The Democrats foolishly moored their hopes to a false Moore foundation
And have now been set adrift inside their own nation

Remember the victims	Ne jamais oublier les victimes
Arafat gets the pigskin shitsack.	Arafat s'est fait tailler un costard en carcasse de porc.

Good riddance

Bon débarras

Chiraq praises a snuffed terrorist	Chirak fait l'éloge d'un terroriste clamsé
He should croak twice if possible. No pigskin shitsack for him. Just spread his ashes in a pigsty.	Il devrait clamser deux fois plutôt qu'une. Pas de sac à merde en carcasse de porc pour lui. Il suffira d'éparpiller ses cendres dans une porcherie.

He'll always have Paris	Par où t'es rentré? On t'a pas vu sortir
Arafat snuffs it.	Arafat vient de clamser.

Saga Africa
Thanks to Gregory.	Merci à Gregory.
Hey là, le type-là Oui oui, petit blanc Paris-Yaoundé Connection mais venez Allons ambiancer Ambiance soukouss Ambiance makossa Ou l'ambiance du bikutsi Ambiance assiko Mouvement partout Et mouvement droite Mouvement à gauche Roulement de pecos Direction à l'hôpital Docteur, c'est mauvais Attention a cheu {Refrain:} Saga Africa Ambiance de la brousse Saga Africa Attention les secousses Direction quartier Pour danser poulet braisé Avec le meyo Ah, comment ! Goutte le meyo Comment tu es café ? A élan nou a zout T es un chaud gars Tu danses un peu bancal mais c'est bon Mouvement de hanche Mouvement bangala Ambiance secousse Ambiance de la brousse Ambiance de l'amour "A tous les petits blancs et tous les petits noirs" Attention le type-là Il est trop dangereux Viens ma sœur, fuyons Attention ma sœur Attention a cheu {Refrain} Yannick Noah pour radio Cameroun avec les lions indomptables N'kono dégage après un suppositoire de l'attaque adverse Dégagement multidirectionnel de N'kono, les défenseurs voient complètement flash François Omanbiyik amortit et glisse un zolo Deux zolos et passera Milla Milla dribble la balle, un dribble qui sort des laboratoires Foot balistiques d'Etudi L'affaire est grave, il tire au goal Il y est !!! {Refrain}

Breakfast at Tiffany's	Déjeuner chez Maxim's
For the well off, yuppified, Parisian panty-waists calling for civil war and/or revolution in the US.	Pour tous les pédaloïdes parisiens, bobos et aisés, qui appelent à la guerre civile et/ou la révolution aux Etats-unis.

It's official: Le Monde Al-Jazeera on the Seine joins the tin foil hat brigade	C'est confirmé: Le Monde Al-Jazira sur Seine fait partie des dingos fous à lier
Where did the Florida Democrats' votes go?	Mais où sont passés les votes démocrates de Floride?

But Aren't Those Other Countries Supposed to Be Allies of No Value?

On Tuesday, George W Bush received a congratulatory phone call from Jacques Chirac. He also spoke with the leaders of Indonesia, Georgia, Romania, Thailand, Egypt, Denmark, and Slovakia.

The question is, what is France doing in the company of those countries? Aren't they supposed to be allies of little or no value? Whereas France... Wait a minute!...

(Thanks to Gregory Schreiber)

Outstanding

Sarcelles a sanctuary? From the Belmont Club: Whether South Waziristan, Pankasi Gorge, the Bekaa Valley, Fallujah or the banlieus of Paris, terrorism apparently needs some locus in order to exert a material force.

Bad vibes	Mauvaises ondes
Overheard on a talk radio show on RMC-Info: Caller: What do you call a population that elects a monster? Show host: What? Caller: Monsters! Americans, you are hated here. More than ever. Keep cancelling those trips to France.	Entendu à RMC-Info lors d'une émission où les auditeurs passent à l'antenne: Auditeur: Qu'est-ce qu'on appelle un peuple qui vote pour un monstre? Présentateur: Quoi donc? Auditeur: Des monstres! Les américains, vous êtes détestés ici, plus que jamais. Continuez à annuler vos voyages vers la France.

The French have a proud history of hate literature	La littérature de la haine est une specialité fwançaise
Three Paris newsstand managers tell me the same thing. '50 Good Reasons to Hate Americans' (again, repeating for the spittle shooting clown faced shitheads among us: no mention of Bush here, simply all Americans) is sold out and they are waiting for a new batch of copies. Here's a pic taken at a newsstand that still has a few on sale. Americans, you are hated here. More than ever. Keep cancelling those trips to France.	Trois gérants de kiosques à journaux sur Paris me disent tous la même chose. '50 bonnes raisons de détester les américains' (encore une fois pour les postillonnants bouseux aux bouilles à bozo: il ne s'agit pas d'un livre sur Bush, mais un livre sur tous les américains) est en rupture de stock et ils en attendent une nouvelle fournée. Voici une photo prise à un kiosque qui en a encore quelques exemplaires. Les américains, vous êtes détestés ici, plus que jamais. Continuez à annuler vos voyages vers la France.

Bestseller in Paris

En haut du palmarès des meilleures ventes à Paris

Since this morning the Paris newspaper stands are stocked full of the book '50 Good Reasons to Hate Americans' which is selling like hotcakes (sometimes you have to repeat things for the clown faced shitheads among us: no mention of Bush here, simply all Americans). The book summarizes French across-the-board hatred of Americans. Straightforward raw anti-Americanism.

Depuis ce matin les kiosques à journaux parisiens s'écroulent sous les exemplaires de '50 bonnes raisons de détester les américains' qui se vendent comme de petits pains (il faut parfois répéter pour les connards aux bouilles à bozo parmi nous: aucune mention de Bush ici, simplement de tous les américains). Le livre exprime à merveille la haine vouée par les franchouilles aux américains. De l'anti-américanisme universel ouvert et direct.

Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs	Y'a bon Banania
Oh, the holier-than-thou, condescending, moralising scum (often enough doing their moralising with their clown like mugs). French peacekeepers kill civilians in Ivory Coast.	Ô, les raclures de chiottes hautaines, condescendantes, et moralisatrices (assez souvent en train de sermonner avec leurs bouilles à bozo). Les militaires franchouilles tuent des civils en Côte d'Ivoire.

Just in from the Dissident Frogman	Du nouveau de la part du Dissident Frogman

Good, Evil, and Videotape
Thanks to Balagan.	Merci à Balagan.

French parochialism	Esprit de clocher
Someone must explain to Plantu that Bush is not Catholic.	Faudrait expliquer à Plantu que Bush n'est pas un KTO.

Fudgepackers take a licking	Saga Africa, Ambiance soukouss
French take a beating in the Ivory Coast. Have a look at the core of the future Zeropean army. What a laugh!	Les franchouilles prennent une râclée en Cote d'Ivoire. Voici le noyau de la future armée zéropéenne. Elle est bien bonne, celle-là!

Thanks, you bunch of jerkoffs	Merci, bande de nazes
George Bush asked Zek to write his thank you message in French. I had proposed my services but Bush told me I was too vulgar.	George Bush s'est adressé à Zek pour rédiger ses remerciements en langue française. J'avais proposé de le faire mais Bush m'a dit que j'étais trop grossier.

Animal fangs for Bush	Des crocs de prédateur sauvage pour Bush

1-900-Towelhead-Ramrod

0800-Mille-et-un-Braquemarts

As long as Chiraq kept sniffing at the ass-cracks of Hamas and Hezbollah (a dose of crack like any other) he could keep hoping for a slumber party with Kerry, but that's all over now. Chiraq will have to explain his cruising in the Middle East's backrooms. In the meantime, a bit of necrophilia with Arafat will have to do. Divorce from France? No kidding. Do you know where her mouth has been? Wrapped around Hamas and Hezbollah's tube steak.

Tant que Chirak reniflait les rondelles des Hamas et Hezbollah (une façon comme une autre d'offrir son piètre croupion), il pourrait espérer faire des câlins 'entre filles' avec Kerry, mais tout ça est tombé à plat. A Chirak de s'expliquer au sujet de ses tournées dans les backrooms moyen-orientaux. En attendant, un zest de nécrophilie avec Arafat fera l'affaire. Divorce avec la Fwance? Sans blaque. Et sa bouche a traîné par où exactement? Sur les zobs de Hamas et Hezbollah.

American Black Box
Maurice G. Dantec is having a good laugh at the expense of the French Intelligentsia following Bush's election win.	Maurice G. Dantec se fend la gueule au dépens de l'intelligentsia franchouille suite à la victoire électorale de Bush.

They're not hiding it anymore

Le masque tombe

Hatred of all things American (its people, its values) by the French continues. In yesterday's Libération PropagandaStaffel, French demography specialist Emmanuel Todd expresses his hatred of Americans and their electoral process. A few morsels that were let loose by Todd's raging sphincter:"... the problem is not Bush, it's the whole United States and the evolution of its people, ravaged by a regressive, aggressive ideology." "the whole of American society exists as a predator for the rest of the world ..." "... the American system has transformed the working class into a plebeian who lives at the expense of the rest of the world." Americans, you are hated here. More than ever. Keep cancelling those trips to France.

La haine, par les franchouilles, de tout ce qui vient de l'Amérique (son peuple, ses valeurs) suit son cours. Hier dans Libé PropagandaStaffel, démographe Emmanuel Todd exprime sa haine des américains et leur processus électoral. Quelques perles lâchées par le sphincter de Todd:"... le problème n'est pas Bush, ce sont les Etats-Unis dans leur ensemble et l'évolution du peuple américain, ravagé par une idéologie régressive et agressive." "l'ensemble de la société américaine vit dans un rapport de prédation au monde ..." "... le système américain parvient à transformer le monde ouvrier en une plèbe qui, elle aussi, vit aux crochets du monde." Les américains, vous êtes détestés ici, plus que jamais. Continuez à annuler vos voyages vers la France.

Us and Them

Nous et Eux

A light bulb goes off in the heads of those MSM types. Maybe, just maybe, they aren't talking the same language as the US electorate. Of course, if they weren't so busy making believe they were French, they might pick up on this as others already have.

Il y a comme une étincelle qui traverse le vide entre les deux oreilles de ces baudruches qui bossent pour les médias grand public. Peut-être, il y a une possibilité, qu'ils parlent pas le même langage que l'électorat américain. Certes, s'ils ne passaient pas leur temps à vouloir se comporter comme les franchouilles, ils auraient compris ça depuis belle luerette, comme d'autres ont déjà compris bien avant eux.

The last thing he will have seen is a Bush victory	La dernière chose qu'il aura vue ici-bas sera la victoire de Bush
Hopefully he'll drop dead soon. Wouldn't want to spend any more of my tax money on his bloodthirsty carcass. French hospitals are like roach motels. You check in but you can't check out.	Avec un peu de chance il va clamser sous peu. Je ne voudrais pas dépenser un sou de plus sur cette vieille merde assoiffée de sang. Les hôpitaux franchouilles sont comme les pièges à cafards. On y entre mais on n'en sort jamais.

Hey, at least Americans have guts	Les ricains, au moins ils ont quelques chose dans leurs tripes, eux
Hatred of all things American (its people, its values) continued today. In today's Libération PropagandaStaffel, the anti-semite Willem uses racial caricatures (shared by the simple minded French population) to express his hatred of Americans and their electoral process. Americans, you are hated here. More than ever.	La haine de tout ce qui vient de l'Amérique (son peuple, ses valeurs) a redémarré de plus belle aujourd'hui. Ce matin dans Libé PropagandaStaffel, l'antisémite Willem manipule la caricature raciale (caricature largement partagée par la populace franchouille) pour exprimer sa haine des américains et leur processus électoral. Les américains, vous êtes détestés ici, plus que jamais.
America went and voted with its gut feeling.

Petits ballons de foot verts
LGF gets a nod from Le Monde Al-Jazeera on the Seine! Little Green Footballs, a conservative blog, relishes the thought of the faces of Chirac and Kerry when they will hear about Bush's victory and they'll realize that "their morally devalued post-modern ideologies have been rejected by Americans".	LGF est cité dans Le Monde Al-Jazira sur Seine! Little Green Footballs, un blog conservateur, se réjouit à l'avance de la tête que Chirac et Kerry feront lorsqu'ils apprendront la victoire de Bush et qu'ils réaliseront que "leurs idéologies post-modernes, moralement dévaluées ont été rejetées par les Américains".
All that because of the state of my yoyo. Plantu, who obviously is in dire need of his 8 weeks of vacation makes a play of words with the French pronunciation of 'Ohio'.

Zeropean panty-waists need not apply	Pédaloïdes zéropéens s'abstenir
American electorate to Old Zeropa: the US's way or the highway. Barnier can get fucked.	L'électorat américain répond à la Vieille Zéropa: ce sera fait comme au Texas et si vous n'êtes pas d'accord c'est pareil. Barnier peut aller se faire mettre.

W redux	W bis

The shot heard from Jenin to Falluja to Tehran by way of Sarcelles	Le coup de feu entendu de Jénine à Fallouja à Téhéran via Sarcelles
French TV announcers have that stupid dumbstruck look on their stinking French mugs. Kill faster. Total war.	Les présentateurs de la télé fwançaise ont tous cet air hébété collé sur leurs tronches puantes de franchouillards. Tuer plus vite. Guerre totale.

Now accepting inscriptions for 'Hillary 2008 Meet Up'

Undecided?	Indécis?
Not anymore. Americans demand 4 more years.	Plus maintenant. Les américains exigent 4 années de plus.

"France’s propaganda machine is working to undermine U.S. interests"

Kenneth R. Timmerman:

Every American who still has illusions that a Kerry administration would succeed in convincing "Old Europe" to help us in Iraq should spend a few days reading and listening to the French media as they report on the U.S. elections.

The French, of course, believe that they will elect the next U.S. president. (In fact, they believe they already have.) The center-right daily Le Figaro published the results of a poll it commissioned on Friday, Oct. 29, showing that 71 percent of Frenchmen support Senator Kerry while 82 percent believe President Bush has made the world a more dangerous place.

Daniel Mermet of French state-run radio is just one of many well-known French journalists who have abandoned all pretense of reporting the elections. Instead, he and others of his ilk present blatant campaign commercials that would make even Mike McCurry and George Stephanopoulos blush.

"French politicians running for president in 2007 can take heart from the U.S. elections," Mermet began a recent screed from West Virginia. "The U.S. election shows you can run on a catastrophic record — that's the case for Bush — and succeed completely. It shows you can be in the pay of the big oil companies, you can pass a totally unfair tax cut, you can devastate the poor, gut social security, ravage the health care system and throw 600,000 people out of work, but that's ok."

I can add a personal experience to the mix. State-run France-3 television recently invited me to participate in a panel discussion on the U.S. elections. While I had few expectations of fairness, the extent of the lies and distortions I encountered was astonishing even by French standards. …

Read about the 52-minute pseudo-documentary and
the sophisticated and agreeable French couple
whose views were "all so reasonable,
all so normal and matter of fact"…

(Thanks to Gregory Schreiber)

What Iraqis Think of the French Government

Omar of Iraq the Model:

[Read] some of the comments made by Iraqis who signed an appeal to the UN to stop France’s attempts to hinder the democratic process in Iraq.

The petition was organized by a group of Iraqi civil society organization and was directed to the UN and addressed “To any person support democracy in Iraq”. …

I know that many people would probably say that such actions are ineffective, and they have a point. Still I see it as a wonderful development that Iraqis are starting to organize such group activities making use of the Internet as the fastest way to achieve contact with the largest possible number of Iraqis. In addition to that, such appeals and the one organized by “Arab Liberals” send a message to the terrorists and those who support them and who claim to help Iraqi people that Iraqis do not support their actions and moreover condemn them. It’s helpful in exposing these people and also discouraging these terrorists whom many of them are being sent to Iraq and told that Iraqis need their help to be “liberated”. …

Here’s the translation for the appeal as provided on line:

Your Excellency, Mr. Kofi Annan,
Secretary General of the United Nations

We extend our best greetings and highest appreciation,

We, the undersigned, Iraqi civil society organizations as well as a group of Iraqi and Arab intellectuals are gravely concerned at the continuing attempts of certain governments to undermine the democratic process in Iraq. In the vanguard of these governments stands the French government. Since the start, this government has opposed the endeavours of the international community to help the Iraqi people end the despotic rule of Saddam Hussein, a rule that posed a threat to international peace and security, under the pretext of protecting the integrity of the Iraqi people. It threatened to resort to the veto in the UN Security Council to thwart any resolution which could help the Iraqi people rid themselves of the dictatorial regime.

After the liberation of Iraq under United States leadership and supported by many countries in the world, the French government called for the participation of the Baath party in the transitional government in spite of that party’s totalitarian thought, nationalistic fanaticism and sanguinary past. …We believe that the purpose which the French government seeks through all of the above is to accord international legitimacy to terrorist groups in Iraq, delay elections sought by the Iraqi people and press for the withdrawal of the multinational forces before stability is established and before security and democracy are realized in Iraq.

Read the rest of the appeal to Kofi Annan…

Rug sellers for Chiraq	Vendeurs de tapis pour Chirak
It's the least they could do after his support for Hamas and Hezbollah. Thanks to Gregory.	C'est bien la moindre des choses suite à son soutien à Hamas et Hezbollah. A quand l'effigie de Chirak sur les bandes de gaze? Merci à Gregory.

Bill Clinton Told Jack Lang that John Kerry "Is a Man of the Left"

So says Jack Lang in The "Anyone But Bush" Attitude Dominates on the Left As on the Right , a Le Monde article on whom political bigwigs in France would vote for in the Tuesday election if they could.

The former culture minister admits he does "not know John Kerry personally", but Bill Clinton, whom he met in July, certified that he (Kerry) was "un homme de gauche", a man of the left.

Not quite the choice of words the Dems would use Stateside, eh?

Le Monde's Iraq Coverage

We continue our 60th anniversary special on Le Monde with a special devoted to the independent newspaper's coverage of the war in Iraq.

"The United States Are Losing Control Over Iraq", "The spiral of violence is intensifying", "the war is sinking into barbarism"…

Read the entire article…

The 60th Anniversary Celebration of Le Monde

• The daily's Iraq coverage
• The daily's TV guide
• The daily's film reviews
• The daily's VIP portraits
• The daily's Le Monde 2 magazine
• The daily's Letters to the Editor section
• The daily's 60 years in 60 articles series
• The daily's birth and origins

"France must revise its policies towards Iraq"

The AFP:

Iraq's Prime Minister Iyad Allawi warned France against appeasing insurgents in order to secure the release of two of its nationals held hostage in the country as he prepared to travel to Brussels.

"France is bogged down by the past," said Allawi responding to a question by reporters on France's support for a conference by Iraqi civil society groups to be held in parallel to an official meeting on Iraqi elections scheduled for the end of the month in Egypt.

"France must revise its policies towards Iraq because its actions and statements are driven by the fact two Frenchmen are hold hostage in Iraq." …

"The government is successfully building an international consensus to help Iraq face its difficulties," he said.

"This is why terrorists are targeting foreigners and trying to persuade some foreign governments to recognise them as legitimate political actors."

Following a botched attempt by a French member of parliament to save the hostages in September, France has said that it was supportive of the idea that some elements of the insurgency would attend the Egypt conference.

"Iraq's political forces will decide who attends the conference," Allawi said.

(Thanks to Gregory Schreiber)

Meanwhile, here is more on the Saddam WMD's Syrian connection
(although it does seem to be months old and I cannot vouch for the origin)

"If Bush Remains … This Will Immediately Impact Our Internal Politics"

Jennifer Joan Lee in the International Herald Tribune:

"He has the ability to provoke incredible animosity," said Alain Frachon, a senior editor at Le Monde, one of several French newspapers running extensive coverage of the American campaign. "And this gives us even more incentive to be interested in the U.S. election, because Bush is probably the least liked of all U.S. presidents since World War II."

… "If Bush remains, American troops may stay longer in Iraq and this will immediately impact our internal politics," said Jean-Gabriel Fredet, an editor at Le Nouvel Observateur, a French weekly that recently carried on its cover, "Why We Must Beat Bush." …

Some European pundits, meanwhile, even as they condemn Bush, predict that his re-election would be good for Europe, casting the region's intense dislike of him as the one unifying factor that could bring harmony back to the European Union after the friction around the Iraq war. Many others believe a Kerry victory could help repair trans-Atlantic relations. That is the hope of some in Spain, whose new government's decision to withdraw troops from Iraq created tensions with Washington.

Today's Birthday Child

Today is the birthday of Dan Rather, the television anchorman (1931- ) who said:

(…Oh, never mind…)