My conservative friends are hooting over the French elections where the conservative candidate is the winner over a socialist. Since I know people who won’t buy French products since France decided not to join our holy war in Iraq and the word “French” is something conservatives call you when they want to insult you without using a dirty word, I have become tired of reminding some of these history challenged people that there would be no USA without the French coming to our aid in the revolutionary war.
Bill Maher has a rather R-rated take on the French and how they should be viewed by us from Real Time; here’s a YouTube cut of it but the lanuague is salty. The rant kicks in at about the 3 minute mark.
Click on the image to the left or link below.
 http://youtube.com/watch?v=sqZg-KsSB0k
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Dan,
Yes, it’s unlikely we’d have won our independence from Great Britain if France hadn’t intervened on our side.
At the same, you ought to note we’ve already repaid that debt. Twice.
Jubal:
Indeed we have.
But maybe we should have listened to our old friend’s advice on Iraq. As cynical as their reasons where, we would have done ourselves a great favor had we listened to the French, instead of listening only to what we wanted to hear.
Enjoying some freedom fries.
DU
Matt —
An old colleague of mine — a staunch Republican — suggested to me that we send the Statute of Liberty back because it came from France.
Repaid the bill twice; I’d argue helping us achieve our independence is a debt we can never repay.
I’d say saving their existence as an independent nation twice — and at much greater cost in blood and treasure than they expended on our behalf — more than settles that debt.
And I’m encouraged a majority of the French seem willing to try and kick their addiction to the welfare state.
As for Mahr, it was curious how he lauded France’s independence from foreign oil, yet neglected to mention how they got there: the aggressive development of nuclear power. Oh well — don’t want to expect too much from old Bill.
I think that fact is pretty well documented. The French also have fab mass transit. Now if they would only pick up after their dogs…..
Matt —
It wasn’t just France we liberated; it was all of Western Europe. We saved England’s bacon too.
That all said, I don’t believe it obligates France to join us in Iraq which is why folks got so lit up in 2003. “John Kerry looks French.”
I do not believe the change in presidency to conservative means the French will be deploying troops in Iraq any time soon.