Article

2003-02-04 Europe

Axis of Weasels: France "No longer an ally" - Richard Perle

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Posted by Frank G 2003-02-04 03:42 pm|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The cheese-eating surrender monkeys have been throwing too much feces lately.

Monkeys can be cute pets when they're young but at some point they've got to be taken off the leash and sent to a zoo for retirement...

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2003-02-04 15:57:06|| 2003-02-04 15:57:06|| Front Page Top

#2 A delicious bit of oratory, but it'll just remain that until the State Department gets behind it. Not that Powell won't be tempted, but State is the biggest unpaid Euro-lobby the Euros have in the United States.

Very likely, there will be a firestorm, during which State will make its opinion known, IF they bother to speak at all. If nothing comes out of FoggyBottom, then the fix is in and the skids are greased for an Olympic class exit.

Posted by Ptah 2003-02-04 17:22:16|| 2003-02-04 17:22:16|| Front Page Top

#3 good point Ptah, but I would note that we're not talking some "unidentified senior officialÂ©", Perle is named, has patrons, and influence. Being an outsider, he can be plausibly denied if there's true firestorm, yet I see this as a administration position "balloon", and those in Foggy Bottom will be graded on how they apply it IMHAO

Posted by Frank G 2003-02-04 18:59:17|| 2003-02-04 18:59:17|| Front Page Top

#4 Do you guys think that this is a good cop-bad cop deal? Didn't he put out the "public" power point briefing on Saudi Arabia recently. He said publicly what everyone was thinking, I recall.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2003-02-04 20:42:02|| 2003-02-04 20:42:02|| Front Page Top

#5 I think this is in the category of "Things we wish we could say outloud" for our government. Applying pressure to France without our government actually being involved. Deniability and all that.

I agree that what happens next will reveal whether this was a sanctioned hit or Perle was freelancing.

Posted by Chuck 2003-02-05 07:29:25|| [blog.simmins.org] 2003-02-05 07:29:25|| Front Page Top

#6 i think this is more along the lines of things Perle wishes for but might not be so. LEts face it Perle and others WANT the French to block us at the UN, precisely BECAUSE that would discredit the UN. If Powell (presumably following the Baker strategy) wins and the UNSC approves a second res. we've still get the UN and France around to "trouble" us on future issues. The UN apparently has figured this out, why Blix has been sounding tough recently. France has to decide if imposing costs on the US by making the US go "unlateral" is worth the damage to the UNSC and to "multilateralism" The French strategic dilema is thus the photo negative of the US dilemma - is the cost of unilateral action worth it to be "liberated" from the UN and multilateralism???

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-02-05 08:17:07|| 2003-02-05 08:17:07|| Front Page Top

08:17 liberalhawk
08:15 Ptah
07:29 Chuck
07:08 Murat
01:10 Michael Lonie
00:34 John Anderson
00:19 John Anderson
23:51 John Anderson
21:54 Anonymous
21:48 Paul
21:32 11A5S
20:58 Anonymous
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20:42 Alaska Paul
20:40 Bman
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19:42 john
19:20 john
19:09 Ptah
18:59 Rw
18:59 Frank G
17:56 Alaska Paul