Published on August 21, 2006 By drmiler In Politics
Well the frogs have tried again, they have dangled the bait and we "bit"! How long before they cut and run this time? Any guesses?
And only 400 troops at that. They might as well stay home. They won't be of much use since all they know how to do is surrender when the going gets tough. The following is excerpt from the WSJ. To read the entire article follow the link.


Mission Unaccomplished
The French promise a military force and Condi falls for it.

Monday, August 21, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT

Most U.N. resolutions don't have the shelf-life of a gallon of milk, which isn't always a bad thing. But in the case of Resolution 1701--the cease-fire agreement for Lebanon and Israel adopted unanimously this month by the Security Council--things seem to be going sour even faster than that. And that is cause for serious unease.

On Thursday, Jacques Chirac confirmed a Le Monde report that his government was prepared to offer only some 200 combat engineers (in addition to the 200 French troops already in Lebanon) to what is supposed to be the resolution's centerpiece: A 15,000-man U.N. force that will help the Lebanese army patrol their southern border and ensure that Hezbollah will no longer use the area as a staging ground for future attacks against Israel.

Given that the French contingent was supposed to be at the vanguard of this enhanced force, it's unclear whether other nations will be willing to chip in with troops of their own. All of this after the French used the promise of a robust, French-led international force to get the U.S. and Israel to agree to a cease-fire and withdrawal. Even less reassuring is the insistence by French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie that her troops will remain in the lead only until February, after which, apparently, it's salaam and adieu.[/B

Link


Comments
on Aug 21, 2006
bump
on Aug 21, 2006

I was wondering where they were coming up with the 400.  I heard them defending 200, but now I see.  200 there, plus another 200.

Does it really matter?  After all what do you call French soldiers?  Casualties.

on Aug 21, 2006
I hope they don't send a single person. I hope we don't send a rowboat. The French would be even bigger pusses to send more people to die after their peacekeepers were killed in 1982 by the Lebanese, and we would be too.

Israel has a job to do in Lebanon, and we are hamstringing them, and we should be ashamed of ourselves for it. I hope the French do back out, and I hope every other nation does to. We should immediately stop trying to push for a peace that benefits NO ONE but Hezbollah.

The bombs need to stop falling when the job is done, not when Kofi can't stomach it anymore. We all know that he can tolerate Israeli kids being blown up a lot longer than Lebanese kids. So I applaud the French, even if they aren't purposely being upright. Condi would be well served by staying the hell out of it, too.
on Aug 21, 2006
The bombs need to stop falling when the job is done, not when Kofi can't stomach it anymore


Amen!
on Aug 21, 2006
I thought French soldiers are called POWs.
on Aug 21, 2006

I thought French soldiers are called POWs.

Pert near!

on Aug 21, 2006
I hope they don't send a single person. I hope we don't send a rowboat. The French would be even bigger pusses to send more people to die after their peacekeepers were killed in 1982 by the Lebanese, and we would be too.

Israel has a job to do in Lebanon, and we are hamstringing them, and we should be ashamed of ourselves for it. I hope the French do back out, and I hope every other nation does to. We should immediately stop trying to push for a peace that benefits NO ONE but Hezbollah.

The bombs need to stop falling when the job is done, not when Kofi can't stomach it anymore. We all know that he can tolerate Israeli kids being blown up a lot longer than Lebanese kids. So I applaud the French, even if they aren't purposely being upright. Condi would be well served by staying the hell out of it, too.


I'll bet my "last" dollar that there will be some Americans among those 15,000 troops. Wanna bet?
on Aug 22, 2006
"I'll bet my "last" dollar that there will be some Americans among those 15,000 troops. Wanna bet?"


Nope, because I see the halfheartedness that rules the Bush administration's policies. They are strong only up until a point, and then they let Kofi talk them into playing along. There probably will be Americans, and that weakness is exactly why we don't have any respect in the Middle East.
on Aug 22, 2006
The French have a very good reason to send so little, it is a lose-lose situation. Without disarmament of Hezbollah there is no way they can keep the peace there, and if they start the disarmament themselves they'll just become the target in someone else's war. By allocating far too little man they at least make sure it still is a UN problem instead of a French one.
on Aug 22, 2006
Does it really matter? After all what do you call French soldiers? Casualties.




What's most memorable about the French Army? Their backs, you see them so often you can't forget them.