Merci La France, Réveillez-vous Maintenant

Posted By MJ

Before all the French bashing starts (Fox News never really stopped), I want to get my two cents in. First, for matter of historical accuracy, there probably is no way America would have won independence from Britain during our Revolution without French help. The French navy kept the British tied up and constantly played psychological games with King George; and for that, we merci La France (The French just love it when you try). Now, with that out of the way, it’s time for another history lesson.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke on Tuesday at an elite French political science institute known in France as Sciences Po. This address was part of her tour through Europe as her first official visit as America’s leading diplomat and she wasn’t received all that well. Readers of this site will know that I am not a fan of the current American president. I will argue all day about all the dull decisions made in this war with Iraq. I will also argue the astuteness of having Rice as the country’s head diplomat especially after her intelligence failures with Iraq. But, like Sen. Barak Obama said, she is the president’s choice, and as president he deserves it. I’ll go along with that. But, I won’t go along with the French and their display of anti-Americanism over the last two years.

Oh La France, how soon we forget.

Twice, in less than 30 years, America came to your aid and liberated your soil. Any help during the American Revolution has been greatly repaid with over 100,000 dead American soldiers upon your land. Yes the British were with us, but I would think that would be even more humiliating for you; and besides, the second time around America gave the Brits, the Canadians and the Aussies a ride across the Channel. None of it would have been possible without America.

I understand your embarrassment of losing three straight wars (Five if you count Algeria and Vietnam). Your once and mighty culture used to dominate Europe, and the world, just as your Napoleonic armies were ruthlessly invading and forcing occupation on nearly every country in Europe.

However, following 1945 the U.S. formed NATO, an alliance that prompted America to assume responsibility for the future safety and security of Europe against the Soviet Union. Paris stood no chance against Soviet aggression without the U.S. and for 46 years America stood firm in defending France and the rest of Western Europe from any invasion. Today the French are dismayed to think that the people of Iraq deserve the same treatment from the United States. They have forgotten the efforts at which America has stood by them and instead openly supported an Iraqi dictator by selling him weapons well after the 1991 embargo on Iraq. Chirac is certainly no man of peace. The French have forgotten that the freedom they now enjoy came at the expense of hundreds of thousands of American and British lives.

It was after your defeat to Germany in WWII and then resurrection from America and her Allies that you refused to give up your Southeast Asian colonies, most notably Vietnam. We do thank you France for screwing up Vietnam as well. European colonialism is the result of much turmoil in this world today.

What, you may ask, an American Democrat bashing the French. You bet. I’m a Democrat and proud of it. But I’m not ignorant to the world. I might disagree with Bush and his senseless handling of Iraq, but Bush sure is better than anything they have to offer in Europe.