With all due fairness, lets remember that they *were* polling AOL subscribers. I'd hate to think that AOLers represented the pulse of public opinion on this side of the pond.

Only 8% say his biggest failure was the banlieue jihad? Granted, I don't put much faith in polls (they polls said that Kerry would win in a landslide). They can be slanted in any number of ways. Nevertheless Carine, I think it's time for you to pack your bags and head to le pays de la liberté!

Only 8% say his biggest failure was the banlieue jihad? Granted, I don't put much faith in polls (the polls said that Kerry would win in a landslide). They can be slanted in any number of ways. Nevertheless Carine, I think it's time for you to pack your bags and head to le pays de la liberté!

Iraq is such a mess that french people are quite happy not to be risking their lives there for no result.

"No to the war in Iraq" is by no way anti-americanism.

Otherwise, not only the french would be anti-US : Canada, Mexico, Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy...

"Iraq is such a mess..."

Only if you read Le Monde. Iraq is by no means perfect, but it currently shows much more promise than any country in Western Europe.

...french people are quite happy not to be risking their lives there for no result.

Wasn't that the attitude of France 60 years ago?

I agree regarding trusting the polls. But nevertheless, that's quite the feeling here. You have no idea how many people who hate Chirac (and I mean hate - the "official" left here seems to believe with all their heart Chirac is pro-free market) recognize that "he was great regarding Iraq. He refused to obey Bush, and for that, we have to thank him".

Yankee Expat,
As soon as I can I'm heading toward le pays de la Liberté. I'd leave right now if I could.

Dror,
Listen to Armen: read something else than Le Monde and the NYT. Iraq is not perfect but it will be better than France in less than ten years, I have no doubt about that.

french people are quite happy not to be risking their lives there for no result.

No result? What do you mean exactly? That toppling a tyrant is "no result"? The Iraqis voting is "no result"?

"No to the war in Iraq" is by no way anti-americanism.

It wasn't "no to the war in Iraq". Be honest for once: it was yes to Oil-for-fraud, let's block the United States for fear they find out. That's what it was all about. Add to that the torching of American symbols in the streets, the propagandist newspapers, the hatred...

Otherwise, not only the french would be anti-US : Canada, Mexico, Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy...

The French have a special history of anti-Americanism, I think you know what I mean.

France? What's that and why should I care?

The poll question wasn't phrased "Chirac's decision to not invade Iraq with the US and UK." which could be argued as simply a decision on Iraq. Rather the poll question was phrased "Rebellion against the US on Iraq". "Rebellion against the US" sounds fairly anti-american to me.

I'm not sure that means that 2/3rds of the French are anti-American, just that they really like it when their leader talks trash. heh. :)

Chiraq's anti Americanism was a failure. Don't the French know the US invaded Iraq and removed Chiraq's buddy Saddam. Evidently the French share the terrorists way of imagining victory in the midst of defeat.

"Iraq is such a mess that french people are quite happy not to be risking their lives there for no result."

Pride in ones self would be sufficient for those unattracted to lives pitiful smallness. Who was the French philosopher who said, "They fornicated and read the papers"?

If 'Iraq is a mess' because they have a hostile violent minority aided by outside extremists refusing to participate in the nation and seeking its overthrow, then what is France?

And what success did he have in his "rebellion" against the U.S.? I am at a loss as to an answer. He stopped nothing.

Ditto, Brian.

Chirac was just a speed-bumb in the way of Operation Iraqi Freedom - he only slowed us down.

Now he has tire-tracks across his back!

Snort-Spit""!
-Steve

Ditto, Brian.

Chirac was just a speed-bumb in the way of Operation Iraqi Freedom - he only slowed us down.

Now he has tire-tracks across his back!

Snort-Spit""!
-Steve

"Iraq is such a mess that french people are quite happy not to be risking their lives there for no result."

There is nothing wrong if the French want to sit out the liberation of Iraq. However it is a different thing for France to take steps that made it more difficult for the US to neutralize the danger that Saddam would provide WMD to terrorists. Iraq had wmd know-how and supported terrorists.

Actually Chirac was a useful idiot for America. We really needed to invade Iraq in order to gain some credibility in the Arab world. If Chirac hadn't convinced Saddam that france could prevent America from actually invading, Saddam might have backed down and America wouldn't have been able to show the world that we were willing to fight and die to insure our own security.

Chirac may have been motivated by greed or politics but he did us a huge favor.

In 50 years, France will be unrecognizable, not that there's much worth recognizing even now. Their agricultural industry will collapse the moment it's exposed to any outside competition whatsoever. Similarly, they can manufacture little that will compete in the global marketplace, absent government subsidy. The government is the only growth employer, their bloated social welfare state cannot sustain itself, and they have not the political will to confront these facts.

Allowing massive immigration is the only out for them, to pay their bills, but their inherent racism/nationalism ensures that this will only grow the powder keg. Within 50 years, this keg is gonna blow, and once again we will be faced with the prospect of a nuclear-armed enemy. Oh yes, the US military will be returning to France, my friends. It is only a matter of time.

Mike is right. Had Chirac not been able to convince his good business buddy Saddam that he would stop America in the UN, then Saddam would have cooperated with inspectors, played along much better, and still have been in power. There would have have been no invasion. Instead, there would be more El Baradei style blather and UN-led nothingness. But Chirac assured Saddam that he was safe. Once again proving the rule: trust France, get screwed.

Ironically, the corruption and cowardice of the French was a great asset in the liberation of the Iraqi people.

I say go Banlieu Jihad. It's not like an Islamic-fundamentalist France would be all that much worse for America than the France of today. And at least the illusions would be gone. In a perfect world, Sean Penn and company will all be living in France when the Muslim takeover happens. One can only wish.

The U.S. shut down the organized crime concession France, Russia and the UN were running in Iraq.

I knew French cyncicism was bottomless, but if Chirac's greatest achievement was being bribed to oppose the U.S., well then . . .

The plunge from relevance of the French is accelerating. Within ten years their opinion about anything will be no more pertinant than Finland's. And then soon under they will fall under Sharia law.

The plunge from relevance of the French is accelerating. Within ten years their opinion about anything will be no more pertinant than Finland's. And then soon under they will fall under Sharia law.

"Iraq is such a mess that french people are quite happy not to be risking their lives there for no result."

Aw, they don't burn that many cars each night in Iraq...

Tonight, (quelle coincidence) an old episode of The Three Stooges was on. Its a Medieval episode and on his death-bed their foster father tells them they are actually of royal blood.
"Larry", the old man sez, "you are Duke of Durham." "Moe, you are Earl of Firth, and Curly my son, you are Baron of Gray Matter."
Later The Queen of Anesthesia asks the boys, "Where did you travel?"
"To Paris", they answer.
"And what did you see there?"
"Why Parisites of course", answers Moe, at which point my 8 year old pee'd her pants. The wisdom of Moe, seconded by the urine of a brand new generation of Americans.

If the French people think that a useless and showy act of jeunesse (the "rebellion" against America) is Chirac's greatest achievement in ten years, this is a country with very serious problems. There is no upside - in either material or political terms - accruing to France as the result of this girlish pout, but plenty of damage. I also believe, like Mike, that the Islamists will eventually take over the French parliamentary system and then France itself. This will likely happen in fifteen to thirty years. Whether or not we end up going over there again, I couldn't say. But one way or another, France is going to lose whatever culture she has left and all her freedoms (bought at great expense for her by American, Russian, and British soldiers) to the Islamists. Beyond that, France is irrelevant except that she will become a platform for radical Muslims to continue their attack on Western civlization.

I've been traveling from the States to Europe since 1971 and have watched with growing dismay the Euros seeming obliviousness to the truly catastrophic demographic trends. Last summer in Italy I was greeted with shrugs of resignation when I asked about suicidally low birth rates and restive slums of unassimilated Islamic immigrants. Are the French unaware that the gillotine is falling, or do they just not give a merde? Am I correct to theorize that the French (and the rest of Old Europe) are so myopically obsessed with their guaranteed jobs, long vacations, generous retirements, all the (unsustainable) perks of the nanny state, that they are unable or unwilling to see beyond their own adolescent self-absorption?... "If tomorrow brings Sharia, too bad, I've got the sweet life and I don't have any kids anyway, so when Europe is no longer Europe, neither I nor my non-existent offspring will be around to see it." Will Europe die with a whimper or will there be a violent spasm from the soon-to-be outnumbered natives? Thoughts?

I think Brokenheartedeurophile hit the nail on the head. People are just so damn selfish, its the 'me, me, me' generation, who care only for how good they look, how refined (i.e. anti-American) they are and how lazy they can get away with being.
People in continental EUrope, specifically 'old (decrepid) EUrope', the people are so used to the government controlling their lives, I think that if this was taken away, their societies would start falling apart (well, they are already, but who am I to judge). People just dont think for themselves.
Its happening here in Britain too, slowly but surely ... but I doubt that we will ever fall to the same fate as France, we are not exactly renowed for our revolutions.

With social engineering by the leftist media/education establishments, they stifle free debate on many subjects, and anyone pointing out 'controvesial' facts is labelled an extremist, even if these facts are true. (As our chief of police famously said "The truth is no defence") But you only get this critism if it goes against their agenda.
I.e it is ok to point out that asian (specifically Indian) people do particularly well academically in the UK, which is a fair comment and perfectly true.
But you are labelled a racist if you point out that black males do particularly badly academically, even though this too is supported by facts.

If you cannot talk about a problem, you cant even begin to solve it. Is it in anyones interest to let a section of society fail because you dont address issues affecting it?... that to me is the greatest evil.
This applies to France too, but their issue is that they will not admit that the problems (socialism/islamofascism/demographic decline) exist. Instead, they choose to ignore their own problems, and by some twisted logic use the US ('Anglo-Saxons') and a proverbial punchbag, a fall guy. Its much easier to blame someone else than to deal with your own problems. Self-denial anyone????

It not outlandish to think that eventually there will be some kind of civil/social upheaval. Just kick back with a cool beer, some pop-corn and enjoy the show.... then you can rightly say 'I told you so'.

It seems the whole world is turning against us. jealousy is an ugly thing.

Doctor

Gee. I gotta wonder? If Ipsos helped AOL conduct *THAT* Poll. [LOL!]

I'm French, I'm young and I laugh a lot !
Really ! Please, don't use "they" when you speak about French people, don't speak as if you knew all of them ("their inherent racism/nationalism" ... do you really see France like that ? then you should look against WHO Chirac won the latest elections... ) Do you really think we can't see our own problems ? :)
I'm really sorry, I don't spek english well enough to have an interesting&constructive argument with you all, but if could...
Once again, don't think French people are all like the ones you described in your previous posts, theses ones don't exists ;)

And last thing : stop saying "French are bad, bouh bouh they are really bad", we are human, like you, the only diference between us il that we don't speak the same language.

Once again, don't think French people are all like the ones you described in your previous posts, theses ones don't exists ;)

Mike V,
I'm French too and I live in France. And I happen to know those I am talking about - yep, the French - a little bit more than your fellow citizens know Americans and the U.S.A. And I do believe Americans know more about France than the French know about America. Actually, I've experienced that claim many times. See above.

Btw, the French are not bad. They're pathetic. Pathetical whiners.

we don't speak the same language

That's for sure.

I went to visit this site... I'm really sorry if I disturbed your peaceful "I don't like French" mood... Every page I went I only saw the bad covers of the French actuality... Of course all that is said is true, but there are not only bad events in France. If you only show these bad news to people, I'm not surprised to see that they adopt your pessimistic point of view
Anyway I don't know what I could add, looks like everything I could say would be useless against people who don't want to change their mind like you...
To come back to the topic : they were 7945 people to think saying NO to Bush was a good thing to do... then with me they are 7846 :)

Mike V,

You visibly can't even count and you want me to consider your opinion?! By the way, a majority doesn't necessarily equal truth.

And I "show" whatever I want to whoever I want. Why don't you create your own blog, titled France is a wonderland or whatever utopia you believe in, instead of coming here to whine. I'm so tired of the French whining over and over and over again about everything.

I don't do that just because France is not a paradise, but it's not hell :)
And I didn't come here to whine, I was curious. I respect what you think, and I never said I was right because I thought the same way as the majority ( and maybe I didn't understant what you said when you wrote "You visibly can't even count" but I'm quite sure that 69% of 11514+1 is 7945, sorry if my fingers make fun of me ^^ but you jumped on this more fiercly than I could have expected )
Well I'll escape now, go on with what you think, this discussion is useless anyway... I shouldn't have pushed my curiosity so far ^^

L' habit ne fait pas le moine => la nationalité ne fait pas l' esprit :)

Croak

This poll is disturbing. As an American who has lived in Europe at many points in my life, including now, few things here have saddened me more than the rapid decline of the traditional Western European countries since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Chirac's "rebellion" was a treacherous betrayal conducted with malice and deception born of envy, the details of which shall eventually come out in history books. The result has been a weakening of the US, France, and the West in the eyes of our real enemies. If we have less leverage to counter the threat of a nuclear Iran, thank Chirac and all those who have joined him in undermining the position of the US in the Iraq conflict. Your reward, and ours, will likely be a nuclear Iran. If the US and any other countries do take up arms against Iran, the cost in lives will be even greater. Once again, thank you Chirac and the supportive people of France. Your post-WWII ingratitude continues to plumb new depths, the likes of which would earn the jealousy of Judas.