Run This By Me Again. Why Is The United States So Upset With France.

[DEM FAN]

:shrug:

[ithacan]

1. BUSH and the Repugs are because

France refused to bend over backwards and kiss their butts, but rather insisted that Iraq did not pose an immediate threat.

And they were right.

[LifeDuringWartime]

2. maybe because the US always turns on its allies?

they helped us win the revolution. some days i wonder if logic really exists

[DrWeird]

3. Because France was right and the US was wrong.

Americans make for sore losers.

[Isere]

4. Oh, boy, where should I begin?

The US is upset with France because the French have the gall ;-) to think that their culture is, well, "superior" to some other cultures.

The US is upset because France:
won't buy our hormone-laced beef
won't bow to every American demand from here unto eternity out of gratitude for help in fighting wars on French soil
won't revoke Jerry Lewis' Legion d'Honneur
won't admit that American wine is better than French wine
won't bow to American unbridled free market approach

Oh, the list could go on and on. Then there's that little matter of Gauloises vs Marlboros...heh...heh...

:smoke:

[Forkboy]

13. To be fair

we ARE right on the Jerry Lewis thing.There's just no excuse for that :D

[Spider Jerusalem]

16. And Gauloises are HORRIBLE, too.

Ever smoked one? Tastes like they make 'em out of coffee grounds and brown wrapping paper, not tobacco. But, to each his own, I suppose.

[Isere]

20. Ever smoked 'em? Hell, yes!

I used to smoke a pack a day of unfiltered Gauloises. Couldn't afford American cigarettes any more so I switched to the French brand.

When I returned home, my family made me stop smoking Gauloises so I switched back to Marlboros. About a month later the trunk I had sent from France with my extra clothes arrived. When I opened it up, the clothes smelled like a burning manure pile!

Of course I had been going around smelling like one myself all that while, but didn't notice it!

God, if only smokers knew how bad it smells they'd quit sooner rather than later. I sure wish I had.

Piaf said "Je ne regrette rien," and, with the exception of having smoked all those cigarettes, French and American, I quite agree.

[eissa]

5. Because they had the gall to

disagree with us, and dissent is not allowed under this administration.

[NashVegas]

6. Because They Said 'No'

And went with their own philosophy and (let's be honest) economic interest.

[SanchoPanza]

7. Oil, Dollars, Euros, and OPEC

The flap over Iraq is obvious, and niether side incidentally had the moral upper hand.

But even more significant is the emerging dominance of the EU, led by France and Germany, of the world's currency markets. Until recently OPEC had an agreement with the U.S. to sell their oil for dollars only. While with a cursory overview this might not seem like a big deal, keep in mind that under this system the U.S. had a virtual monopoly on over half the world's oil reserves. You could only buy oil if you had dollars, and only one country had the right to print dollars. And said country isn't France or Germany. This system kept the Euro from ever achieving parity with the dollar.

This is important because prior to the Iraq War OPEC was debating switching over to a joint Dollar/Euro system, which means that Japan, the largest foriegn investor in U.S. currency, would no longer have to stockpile dollars in order to buy oil. There was even talk of OPEC switching over to a Euro-only system, as most of their oil trade is done with the EU. Of course, OPEC will never do this now. Such a challenge to the U.S.'s economic imperialism would surely incite World War III.

This is largely ignored as a reason behind the war in Iraq, perhaps THE reason. As it stands the U.S. now has direct dominance, and in the future dominance by proxy, of the largest oil reserves in the Middle East. Already the provisional Iraqi government has mortgaged a large portion of Iraq's oil reserves to U.S. banks and securities firms for rebuilding loans. Not all the reconstruction contracts are going to Halliburton and Bechtel... many are being financed by J.P. Morgan and other U.S. commercial interests for the price of Iraq's future economic independence.

[Isere]

8. Re "oil, dollars, etc.''

Well stated.

[rucky]

9. It's that phony accent of theirs

sounds snotty

edit: oh, wait. that's the English.

[struggle4progress]

10. Are we upset with them?

I thought we just re-invaded Haiti with them, and sent Aristide off to exile in a country with a coup-government possibly installed by the French.

Before that, I suppose we might have been briefly grumpy with them if * had trouble with a french fry.

[_Jumper_]

11. How much of this is a result of America's English founding?

n/t

[sandnsea]

12. All of it n/t

[Dr Fate]

14. Is it the accent & funny hats?

...all I can come up with...

[Cat Atomic]

15. They farted in our general direction, I believe.

[ithacan]

18. in Bush's direction...

please do not equate Bush with the United States...

[Kickin_Donkey]

17. It's because the French have fun with sex ...

which is the same reason why Republicans hate Democrats.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi Kickin_Donkey!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[leesa]

19. Because we need a focal point for anger and blame.

I was at a meeting and STILL heard the GOP talking point "they wouldn't support our war!" said with venomous inflection. Of course, the dolt saying it seemed to think we were at war with Iran.