"You have been very rude, and I have never been spoken to like this before".
Did he gather up his petticoats and flounce out of the room after this Scarlett impersonation? Is it proper that the leader of a great democratic nation conduct himself like the cheese of some inconsequential satrapy, touchy about his gold braid and ritual deference? Now this, regarding the insufferable impertinence of the "lesser" Euros:
"It is not really responsible behavior," he told a news conference. "It is not well brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet." [...]"Romania and Bulgaria were particularly irresponsible to (sign the letter) when their position is really delicate," Chirac said. "If they wanted to diminish their chances of joining Europe they could not have found a better way."
"It is not well brought-up behavior"? Somebody needs to remind this guy that he's the president of France, an office of some dignity, and ought to project something more than the petulance of the Big Man of a rathole, with a syphilis-addled brain and delusions of god-hood. Or a hysterical governess sobbing into her hankie. I can't decide which.
The sad thing is that I have countrymen rube enough to believe that we should be embarrassed by the behavior of Bush, relative to this pissy vulgarian.
And the response of those who have previously taken Rumsfeld, Perle, etc. to task for their statements about Europe will be what?
Posted by: Robert Martin on February 18, 2003
At times like this I recall the stirring words of that opinion leader and maker of fine phrases, P.J. O'Rourke:
"I'd rather be a junkie in a New York City jail than king, queen, and jack of all you Europeans."
Let's confine that to "all you French" for now. Germany excepted, the rest of the continent has begun to show some promise.
Posted by: Francis W. Porretto on February 18, 2003