British pundits and a broad swath of the nation’s press are fuming tonight in the wake of comments by President Obama that the US has no stronger ally than France, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The comment was termed by many as a grave insult to the “Special Relationship’ between Britain and the United States, and sparked angry rebukes from Tory MPs, who insisted that Britain has been a much better shill for America’s assorted wars than France could ever dream of being, and has sacrificed far more troops in those disastrous conflicts.
Some were quick to point out that President Obama didn’t explicitly name France as “better than” Britain but was simply putting them in the same tier. The comments however didn’t prevent the anger and condemnations of France’s insufficiently pro-war history from being made a serious topic of discussion among Britain’s press.
The controversy is nothing new, of course. President Bush’s decision to end his final trip to Europe with a stop in Paris, and not London, sparked similar concerns that their role as America’s BFF was in peril.
How sad to see the leaders of great countries like France and Britain fighting for scraps of the American president's attention like jealous little lapdogs. I look forward to the day when Europeans will demand that their government's stop acting like Washington's colony.
Come on Obama, throw the dogs a bone. They know how to bark, rollover and fetch so give them a pat on the head and throw them another stick to fetch.
"But we've sent more troops to their deaths for the United States!"
Wow, what a wealth of honor that shows. Britain, I am embarassed for you for your politicians groveling for a pat on the head by Massa Obama. I am sure old Winston would be proud.
It was the french general De Gaule, that removed the NATO headquarter from France, and embraced the German chancellor Adenauer while starting the EU as a more lawful and peaceful version of the US,.
The praise from Obama is of course given EXACTLY because it is false, to spin France to back up the US more like the brits. The latter people do it of their own and of course those boot-lickers do NOT need to be praised, doing it all by themselves in an extasy of human perverse denying – somehow keeping a positive light on their own lost empire..
Well if their idea was for EU was to be more lawful and peaceful than the US they have obviously failed miserably.
Sorry, the French should be miffed to as the US actually No Stronger Ally Than Israel ™
Good news for we citizens of the UK, if it is true. The US special friend was absent in 1914, 1915, 1916, 1939, 1940, most of 1941 and 1982. Our contribution in Korea may have been justified, but our costly and sacrificial support for the adventures in Iraq, Afghanistan and in imposing ridiculous and unjustified sanctions on Iran are not. Quite apart from history, the current value of the "special relationship" to the UK is highly questionable.
The US may be misled by so-called intelligence that responds to a manipulated media and oil business interests but we should avoid the distortion that suggests that an imagined threat justifies Americaq in calling for NATO support. It makes a nonsense of the original charter.
Nevertheless If, in the future, a major power directly threatens or attacks American territory, I believe it would be right for us to give the great country our support.
Nevertheless If, in the future, a major power directly threatens or attacks American territory, I believe it would be right for us to give the great country our support.
In that case, hurry on over. Amerika is under attack right now. Time for y'all to save her from herself and the whackjobs that are running her to the ground.
Why should the USA have fought in the great war at all? And nobody in America told you idiots to make a worthless pledge to Poland's military dictatorship in 1939. A pledge you had neither the means or will to fulfill. Why should America have gotten mixed up in your colonial war with Argentina in 1982? The truth is BOTH countries would be a lot better off if they ended the bogus "special relationship".
France is a great ally of the United States. In 2002-2003, Chirac and de Villepin at the UN strongly resisted the Bush administration's drive to a war of aggression against Iraq. They were genuine friends of the United States.
At that time, Britain was a lackey, no friend.
Remember the "freedom fries"? What a joke Americans are.
I wonder if Americans will now once again start refering to chips as "french fries" instead of "freedom fries".
The "special relationship" means nothing to Obama, given his racial and cultural background. If anything he may even resent the British. On the other hand, the British would be a million times better off without the "special relationship". All it does is put more British soldiers in their graves.
Brits should send in more cannon fodder in order to please the Emperor.
This actually made me LOL. Imagine these fools acting like high school girls being offended over whether so and so likes so and so better than me. How utterly childish and ridiculous! And these are the yo yos who are running the world. Does anyone wonder why we're in such huge mess?
The emperors have no clothes…
It's about time British politicians got their heads out of Washington's arse. The trouble is that their heads are so far up Washington's arse that surgery is the only solution.
Nicolas Sarkozy is under extreme political threat and the Obama waffle is being used to strengthen his position.
Consider this Uncle Tom Obama is meant to be a left wing progressive politicians, so why is he going out of his way to defend a right wing French politician, perhaps Barrack Obama joined the wrong party by mistake, no change and no hope of one, a company man to the core.