One Hand Clapping
RSS/XML | Add to My Yahoo!| Essays | Disclaimer | Main Page | My Bio | | Archives | Backup Site

Monday, September 22, 2003


France, friend or foe? Cheney wants to know.
The WaPo reports that last February, as the United States was making final preparations to go end its 12-year-long war with Iraq, "French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte made his way through the snow to Vice President Cheney's house."

Levitte was unprepared for what Cheney asked him.

"Is France an ally or an adversary of the United States?" Cheney demanded to know, according to U.S. officials.
President Bush and French President Jaques Chirac will meet in new York Tuesday, Sept. 23, to discuss relations between the two countries.
"We're getting mixed noises, but not all negative," said a senior U.S. official who described himself as "very cautious" about the meeting and the overall relationship.

"Chirac is going to have to make some judgment calls as to what he wants," the official said. "There's a certain point at which people look at the French and say, 'What the hell are you doing and how much are you going to contribute other than rhetoric? Either you stand up and kick in or you don't.' And we're getting to that point."
The article goes on to say, "A warm reconciliation is not expected." I would say not. (hat tip: Richard Heddleson, via email)

by Donald Sensing, 9/22/2003 10:33:38 PM. Permalink |  





Feedburner RSS/XML readers online:


Home