The French Were Right

[SoDesuKa]

The French saw early on that George Bush was a reckless cowboy who would leave a wide swath of destruction in his wake. Sacre bleu! They were right.

[the Kelly Gang]

1. they have experience of being bogged down in places like Iraq

[Florida_Geek]

3. They lost a lot of people in Viet Nam

and saw the US go into that hell hole.......

[Aunt Anti-bush]

2. Yes they were.

To all the French DUers out there, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you then. :(

[markses]

4. Seems like a pragmatic criterion, when it should be ethical

The French were right, broadly speaking. But the way to judge their rightness is not the hellhole Iraq has become, which is a pragmatic criterion: They were right because they knew it would turn to shit. Even if the thing went smoothly, it was wrong. It was ethically wrong, not just pragmatically wrong. Jacques Chirac's speech before the United Nations was clear on this, and correct: What kind of world do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a world where a superpower imposes its will on others? Or do we want to live in a world where cooperation and community reigns, and if an action against a member of the community is necessary, that action should be agreed on by other members of the community? The invasion of Iraq was not merely pragmatically stupid (though it was that), it was ETHICALLY WRONG.

[Soth]

5. Not only were they right, they were BRAVE.

I know the conservatives out there LOVE to paint the French as white-flag waving, cowards, but think about this:

France was one of the ONLY nations to actually stand up to the United States (a terrifying, self-righteous, rogue economic superpower) when Bush said he wanted to go into Iraq. Repubs called them cowards for not going to war. I call them strong for standing up for what they thought was right.

*puts on his beret*

Viva la France!

[Kanary]

6. The French still believe in diplomacy and ethics.

USians want a global football game to cheer and scream for.

Get the beer and pretzels.

Kanary

[Jacobin]

7. Man, were they ever

If ANY COUNTRY ever earned the right to say "I told you so"........

[Skittles]

8. I WAS RIGHT

AND LIVING IN TEXAS I KNEW IT WAY BEFORE THEY DID. :o

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

12. I think many Americans

knew what the French knew about G.W.B. .

[Cleita]

9. The French were right about Vietnam too.

They spent years there and left. They warned us not to go in their but we did.

[livinginphotographs]

10. I have a French last name

And many French ancestors, and I remember how many jabs I got for that during the Iraq War build-up.

Now I get to gloat (it's bittersweet, really, since so many people had to die to prove me right) that I was right.

[TahitiNut]

11. The French have learned many things from bitter experience. Now, it's

... our turn. :scared:

[Columbia]

13. We learned much from the French

They were milking all the profit from the sanctions in Iraq and we wanted a piece so we took it from them.

[Cat Atomic]

14. And yet, conservatives are still blaming them for not backing us up.

I just don't understand it.