Our Friends, the French

[nemafakei]

Spin on all levels.

[SurlyPIG]

Indeed Nema.

I said they were not worse than any others. The French have nothing special that makes them worse than anyone else. To say otherwise is racist and untrue.

Oh really? How do you explain them selling military parts to Iraq as little as three week aso? How do you explain their hypocrisy by propogating the blatant lie the US is oil-hungry when it is actually the largest French company TotalFinaElf that has oil stakes in Iraq already? They've also done some very out of place things in past times as well. French politicians are just wierd...

[Dante]

As to their selling weapons to Iraq, that's because they're people.

And as to French politicians, that's because they're politicians, not because they're French.

If Chirac were to say "Let's not declare war until tomorrow." It would be because he is standing up for his beliefs, not because he is French. And if he sees no reason to declare war, why not sell Iraq weapons? It's not like it's going to hurt the French army or anything. And he makes a profit. Sounds like sensible buisness to me.

[Davidu]

Each country has the right to have an independant external policy.

Each country has different interests regarding different issues. You can't call a man with a different opinion "strange","Wacko" because he thinks different.

The French have the right to do as they please. USA does the same.

[SurlyPIG]

That would be fine if the French only saught their own interests, but they stick their nose in business of other nations ALL the time. They'll do something that isn't even remotely related to them that causes another nation a lot of hardship.

Dust Scout, the weapon sales are blatantly hypocritical. I mean, here they are as a nation telling the US it can't go against the UN resolutions all the while ILLEGALLY selling weapons to Iraq against past UN resolutions. France never ceases to amaze me.

Might I remind you that France buys the Iraqi oil AGAINST (guess what!) UN sanctions. More hypocrisy. Sure lots of politicians are idiots. I don't think politics should be a carreer. It should be a service. But not all politicians are bad, especially that bad. I'm sure there's at least some good French politicians, but the question is, why aren't they getting elected?

[Caid Ivik]

What is nice on France. They are in NATO, politically. That means they don't have to spend money of common NATO operations, but if they were attacked, NATO have to help them. So, that I call a nice alliance ;D