The French government said yesterday that it would seek a "new alliance" with whomever won the US presidential election next week.Make no mistake, France is for Kerry. And the only way there will be an "alliance" based on "mutual respect" is if France decides to respect America. They haven't yet and I'm not holding my breath that they will come to their senses anytime soon.
A diplomatic chill has characterised exchanges between Paris and Washington over the past two years as a result of French opposition to the war in Iraq. But the French foreign minister, Michel Barnier, said that the two countries needed to forge a new alliance. This alliance "must be based on mutual respect, which is not allegiance", he said.
Mr Barnier declined to express a preference between President George W Bush and his Democrat rival, Senator John Kerry. His brief remarks on French television indicated both the importance Paris attached to building a better understanding with America, and the likely limitations of any immediate improvement.
Relations between President Jacques Chirac and Mr Bush in particular have been described as beyond repair. A book by two French journalists, published earlier this month, claimed that the French president's telephone calls were regularly bugged by the CIA.
France supported Saddam Hussein. France took part in joint military operations with China in order to scare Taiwan. France has a history; a record, you might say, of not being there when needed. France causes more problems than they fix.
France cares only about itself...I have no problem with that unless it conflicts with American interests; which, of course, it does. So France can kindly keep its condescension to itself.
