Chirac warns Bush not to interfere

French President Jacques Chirac has taken U.S. President George W. Bush to task over his call for Turkey's admission to the European Union.

"It is is not his purpose and his goal to give any advice to the EU, and in this area it was a bit as if I were to tell Americans how they should handle their relationship with Mexico."

www.cnn.com...

This is really starting to appear personal. There are WAYS, and there are ways, to let an ally know they have overstepped their bounds. Both Presidents seem to know how to get on each others' last nerve.

Originally posted by BOHICA
French President Jacques Chirac has taken U.S. President George W. Bush to task over his call for Turkey's admission to the European Union.

"It is is not his purpose and his goal to give any advice to the EU, and in this area it was a bit as if I were to tell Americans how they should handle their relationship with Mexico."

www.cnn.com...

This is really starting to appear personal. There are WAYS, and there are ways, to let an ally know they have overstepped their bounds. Both Presidents seem to know how to get on each others' last nerve.

While Bush obviously has his detrators, I have to agree with O'Riley and his statement that Chirac is Anti-American. I have inlaws that are French and despite thier claims that they are simply anti-Bush, I an increasing convinced that this is the opinion of the general population as well. By Chirac logic, why was he giving us advice or Iraq?

Of course Chirac is anti-American - he's French ! Now granted, the French, as a culture, can be seen as rude, but Chirac chose not to follow along with a war plan that , in fact, a majority of world opinion was against. And we keep throwing D-Day in their faces - yes, we made a huge sacrifice. Does Russia throw in their faces the fact that they pretty much had Hitler beat by the time we showed up ?
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we did, but France has been around a lot longer than we have. Just because they don't jump whenever George Bush says to does not make me want to rename my fast food.
Over half of our own country sees Bush as a buffoon, so how can we possibly expect other countries to accept questionable policies dictated to them sanctimoniously by someone who very obviously has no clue ?

I'll first address the part of this issue which affects me directly: I find the term "freedom fries" obnoxious and I refuse to eat them. I don't like the idea that freedom is being fried. I'm much more comfortable with it happening to the French. In all seriousness, this is the most important part of the issue to me because it's the only one that raises my blood pressure (no pun intended). The rest of it just doesn't annoy me.

Moving on to the more trivial aspects of this issue, it is neither the right nor privlidge of the French government to object to America's self-defense, or the enforcement of American policy. In the same breath America has no place in the EU's political dealings. The US should offer Britain some encouragement to push for Turkey, and should make deals with Turkey which make Turkey an attractive applicant to the EU (such as helping Turkey develop their economic infrastructure). That would be OK. You can't just tell other nations how to conduct foreign affairs though.

I shouldn't dignify the arguement that America wasn't needed in WWII with a response. Who was keeping Japan away from Russia? Who was tying the Germans up in Africa before the Soviets turned the tide on Germany? Who forced Germany to devote resources to defense against the potential of an attack from the west? (If not for American forces being considered in the equation, Germany could have moved additional forces East). There was little chance that Germany could have been defeated without the cooperationg of America, Russia, and Britain.

As for throwing it in the faces of the French, how many times has that honestly happened? Everyone who has actually told a Frenchman "we saved your butt" sound off now. Everyone who has heard Bush tell Chirac "next time you get invaded we're not coming" sound off now. Americans often cite their contributions as a response to domestic criticism of our large military. There is a strange association of left-wing Americans to France. Although there are links, they are overstated heavily by neo conservatives who find it convenient to disenfranchise leftists in the minds of onlookers by associating them with foreigners who have no rightful say in American politics. (That being said, I sometimes think it would be rather nice to go ahead and completely disenfranchise the far left. They already complain about it so much that I really don't think anybody would notice the change if we actually DID IT.)

Finally, addressing the axis of collaborations with evil, and it's chairman, Mr Chirac: I have noticed a distinct lack of moral courage on the part of France, Germany, and Russia, and I believe it is owed to their illegal dealings with the Hussien regime. These 3 nations voted for a resolution which acknowledged that force was necessary against Iraq if they did not disarm. Although this resolution is (hillariously) argued not to be an authorization of force, it does open the possibility of a war in the future. Never the less, France sold aircraft parts and other military hardware to Iraq AFTER voting for this resolution.
These countries say that an imperialist oil-robbing cowboy who stole an election was singlehandedly behind the invasion of Iraq, but they lacked to moral courage to put troops in front of the American invasion, even though that woudl likely have stopped the war! If these people believe their own story, they are COWARDS. The fact is that they DONT believe their own propaganda, they just like saying that stuff. They knew they were WRONG and that it wasn't worth fighting for.

This shows why the EU is ultimately bad for Europe. One European leader "Chirac" sounds as if he speaks for all of Europe, and gives the appearance that EU hates the United States as a whole when it is only France or maybe just Chirac.

It is obvious this guy hates Bush and probably the United States.

[edit on 29-6-2004 by Xeven]

America has absolutely no right to tell the EU who to admit, as of yet it is not our continant. The French have a little different situation then we have here, in that they have an extremely large muslim population, in fact it is quite possible that we will see France become a musilim state through democratic means,yes by elections being won by muslims, imagine that? A musilim nation with the military capabilities of France. Germany didn't enter the coalition,because they were having there own economic problems, ditto for Russa. Were they dealing with Saddam, of course they were, old saying follow the money, but in your anger of that remmeber we put Saddam in power an gave him his original WMDs

Outstanding points all. Our two countries have a long and deep relationship going back to, and beyond, the American revolution. With all our commonalities, it seems odd that our current dealings with each other are so acrimonious.

Originally posted by izzi
America has absolutely no right to tell the EU who to admit, as of yet it is not our continant. The French have a little different situation then we have here, in that they have an extremely large muslim population, in fact it is quite possible that we will see France become a musilim state through democratic means,yes by elections being won by muslims, imagine that? A musilim nation with the military capabilities of France. Germany didn't enter the coalition,because they were having there own economic problems, ditto for Russa. Were they dealing with Saddam, of course they were, old saying follow the money, but in your anger of that remmeber we put Saddam in power an gave him his original WMDs

Germany did not go in because thier leadership soul thier souls to the Greens in the preivious election.

The French have a little different situation then we have here, in that they have an extremely large muslim population, in fact it is quite possible that we will see France become a musilim state through democratic means,yes by elections being won by muslims, imagine that? A musilim nation with the military capabilities of France.

Uh, oh, here we go with the all Muslims are bad thing again. I liked what you were sayin up til now. It seems kind of racist, just a little bit, a little bit.

Who gives A flying Fliip about the FRENCH or Jauqe Chiraq.......If it was not for us the Entire French Population might have suffered the same fate as the Jews at the Hands Of that monster Hitler Chirac and the rest of the french people need to bow down on there Knees and Kiss our ***

Originally posted by Jamuhn

The French have a little different situation then we have here, in that they have an extremely large muslim population, in fact it is quite possible that we will see France become a musilim state through democratic means,yes by elections being won by muslims, imagine that? A musilim nation with the military capabilities of France.

Uh, oh, here we go with the all Muslims are bad thing again. I liked what you were sayin up til now. It seems kind of racist, just a little bit, a little bit.

I think that sarcasm was aimed at the anti-muslim and anti-french sentiments on this board. I interpret him as saying that France had a good reason (because of sensitivity to it's muslim citizens) not to be involved in Iraq, and that these citizens could possibly, and should have the right to, one day win the elections there. The "imagine that" I think was just saying that it really can happen, and it's not such a marvel. Am I reading it right?

Now... A muslim nation with the military capabilities of France. I WISH we could just snap our fingers and give a muslim nation the military capabilities of France. I have a question for the history buffs: Will this be the first surrender in the history of Jihad, or has it happened before?

I PRAY you aren't suggesting that a muslim government of France would adopt Sharia law, go fundementalist, and declare war on America. Certainly you realize that Americas really do miss going to Paris and buying fine wine, and that if we took over the country, Bill O'Reily could call a halt to his boycott and let the neocons have those privlidges back. GIVE US A REASON and see if it doesn't happen. (It won't, but it sure would be neat).