Chirac Commits France to Iraq Conference

[Career Prole]

HONG KONG - French President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday his country is "entirely committed" to taking part in an international conference on Iraq next month.

Chirac called on foreign ministers to work out the details and participants for the conference, which Iraqi leaders have recommended and U.S. officials support...

Since the conference is taking place next month they'd better invite President-elect Kerry...or he should kick the door down and crash the party.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. So does that mean W is holding a summit?

I thought W didn't do summits?

That's why Kerry can't divulge all the details of his plans. W will just copy them.

[Career Prole]

2. I hear you. You know, I read a thread this morning regarding another

hijacking of the Kerry plan, this time for Iran.
I went and looked at the debate transcripts and compared JK's plan with the chimp's (lack of) plan, and here's what I found:

BUSH: …On Iran, I hope we can do the same thing (as with North Korea), continue to work with the world to convince the Iranian mullahs to abandon their nuclear ambitions.
We worked very closely with the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Great Britain, who have been the folks delivering the message to the mullahs that if you expect to be part of the world of nations, get rid of your nuclear programs.
The IAEA is involved. There's a special protocol recently been passed that allows for inspections.
I hope we can do it. And we've got a good strategy.

LEHRER: Senator Kerry, 90 seconds.

KERRY: With respect to Iran, the British, French, and Germans were the ones who initiated an effort without the United States, regrettably, to begin to try to move to curb the nuclear possibilities in Iran. I believe we could have done better. I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide the nuclear fuel, test them, see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes. If they weren't willing to work a deal, then we could have put sanctions together. The president did nothing.
http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004a.html

The thread that got me searching for the Kerry plan as I'd recalled it revolved around this article, which was headlined
"U.S. Considering Incentives for Iran", from which I quote:

The package of incentives will be discussed at a meeting Friday at the State Department by European envoys with Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton and either Secretary of State Colin Powell or Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage, a U.S. official said.

Incentives could include access to imported nuclear fuel, but the two U.S. officials said that while the administration was interested in proposing a package of incentives, none of its parts had received U.S. endorsement.

Cooperating with Europe on incentives to Iran would represent a shift in Bush administration strategy and could have significant implications in the presidential race. Democratic candidate John Kerry has criticized the administration for what he calls insufficient cooperation with allied governments in shaping U.S. foreign policy.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=7&u=/ap/20041012/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_iran

That's John Kerry's plan. That word needs to get out pronto.
I hope Joe Lockhart gets it out tonight.

[are_we_united_yet]

3. Correct me if I'm wrong

But if I read between the lines, is Chirac saying I'm in if the incompetent buttheads get pink slips?

[NMDemDist2]

4. the German chancellor said the same thing n/t

[Ohio rules]

5. Where is the link?

looks like a better explaination of those comments are in order.

[Career Prole]

6. Dang it! I'm sorry! Here you go...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041012/ap_on_re_mi_ea/hong_kong_chirac_iraq_1

[Tuttle]

7. Kick!

and rate it!

Kerry can build a coalition! The Bushies can't!

Tut-tut