It is becoming obvious to the world's people that the moral high ground is definitely not in Old Europe (or further East).

Disgusting!!

And anyone want to bet that the Anglo-left will either totally ignore this development or else squirm around trying to find ways of justifying it.

Stories like this make me start to believe the paranoid theories about a vast, secret Jewish/American/Masonic/Trilateral Commission conspiracy to manipulate world governments, rig stock markets, and spread McDonald's restaurants all over the world.

How else can one explain the self-destructive foreign policy positions of the French, Germans, and Russians over the past few months?

Too bad we diverted the Fourth ID to the Persian Gulf. They would have been in excellent position to invade Athens this week.

Hokay, the axis of weasel upholds the continuance of the sanctions. Sounds like a window of opportunity for folk that don't mind sticking a finger in a weasel's eye, helping the Iraqis and making a buck, besides.

I was under the impression that we didn't want control in post war Iraq. As liberators and libertarians we are of course persuing the quickest course to promote real democracy with a lack of foreign intervention.

Who cares if the UN doesn't want to lift sanctions. What does it mean? It means they don't want to buy any Iraqi oil or pistachio nuts. Well we can't force them.

On the other hand if America or Britains wants to buy the oil - well they are in control of it. So what is stoping them. We did not listen to UN concernes much before going to war - what is the concern now?

Oh! We have to live with the rest of the world. And not neccessarily on our terms. Golly Gosh. Democracy sure is a fine but tangled thing! We might all claim the moral high ground but I suspect many might be nearer the moral swamp. There is some firm ground there but don't venture too far on it. :0)

We're surprised at this?

They're holding on for dear job and relevancy. The claw marks are becoming noticeable.

What happens then? The US and Britain presumably do all the trading with Iraq. The rest of the world then puts trade sanctions on the US? The US is so strong economically that in effect that actually means they put trade sanctions on themselves, so don't be ridiculous. Still, though, the more they push this the more it makes it clear just precisely who is posturing and who isn't, I guess.

The Roland missiles used to shoot down U.S. jets an helicopters were manufactured in 2002, in France.

My hard personal experience is that the more people are convinced of their own moral superiority the more likely they are to feel free to behave as complete c**ts. And then demonstrate complete bewilderment when they are judged on their observed behaviour rather than their own evaluation of themselves. Particularly prevelent amongst the (il)liberal left.

This is another nail in UN's cofin. Thanks to Chitac & co. For us, oponents of the UN, it is a cause for celebration, not worry.

Michael Jennings:

The U.S. is massively dependent on foreign investment to finance its enormous public and private debt. If that investment were significantly reduced it could easily plunge the U.S. into a new recession. The economic health of the U.S. is crucially dependent on the actions of the rest of the world, and it had better think very carefully before it does something to provoke a trade or investment war.

Don: However, a lot of that foreign investment comes from Japan. I think this foreign investment is pretty safe, particularly given Japan's dependence on Middle Eastern oil. (Yes, some of the investment comes from places like Germany too, and this is dodgier). However, I think I stand by my basic point, which is that any country trying to promote an economic fight with the US is going to get a very bloody nose, whether or not it drags the US with it.

Perry - Shame on you for using that classic P J O'Rourke concept/headline from the '70s without attribution!

Don P,
Don't forget, either, that even though the state of the U.S. economy is dependant on the rest of the world, the state of the world (period) is dependant on the U.S. economy.

Don P,

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Unlike politicians, financiers tend to act in their own best interest. As long as they can continue making millions and billions in the US financial markets, they won't be pulling out to satisfy Chiraq's political whims.

As for a trade war, considering the US imports significantly more than we export, who will be most damaged by a trade war against us?

I would also like to see Bush make a big public political issue out France's complicity in this matter. He could easily take them to the cleaners, at least in America, and their behavior warrants nothing less. Don't let them get away with any of their bs. Don't give them an inch, lest they take a mile.

We've got France's balls in a vice, maybe it's time to put the squeeze on.

Liberty Belle: To be honest it has been ripped off so many times by so many people it seems redundant to be refering to a source so many people know. In fact I got this particular graphic off an anti-Microsoft website with an anti-MS slogan, and just changed the text to make it suitable for this article.

Unlike politicians, financiers tend to act in their own best interest.

Correction: I should have said, "Unlike politicians, financiers tend to act rationally".

Perry - Well, yes, you are correct. It's been ripped off so often it's now part of the common Western consciousness, so I withdraw my self-righteous comment with apologies.

Don P and Michael Jennings: The largest foreign investor in the United States is Britain.

While some obeyed the UN sanctions... France, Germany and Russia sent billions in illegal goods to Saddam suggesting their purpose in those sanctions was to protect the market for French, German and Russian colonial exploitation.
A further argument is in their new tactics of demanding satisfaction of Saddam's debt on those illegal sales by the exploited colonial residents.
But the proof is their new tactic of demanding a continued share of the colonial market or they refuse to vote to lift those UN sanctions.
Again I say...
Support Iraq in repudiating the unlawful debts and defy the sanctions. Just what does the UN suggest it will do when the US and UK refuse to pay attention to their petty rules when that the Axis of Weasels both ignored to their profit and are now trying to enforce at a price?

Sanctions were imposed because Iraq had WMD's: as long as the WMD's are there, the sanctions can't be lifted. Obviously.

Tom that has got to be one of the most literalist, legalistic and to be honest just plain stupidest things I have read in quite some time.

I thought the sanctions were a dumb idea to begin with but even so, the sanctions were imposed to try and compel the baathist government to comply with the arms inspections. The baathist government no longer exists and therefore the only people who the sanctions are going to 'compel' are the people who currently control Iraq... which is to say the armies of United States and Britain. So exactly what do the sanctions now achieve and exactly who is going to be compelled to do what exactly if they remain in place? Duh.

Yeah, but Tom, the EU weasels all insisted that there were no WMDs to be found.

Ergo, sanctions must be lifted. ;-)