Keith Devens .com

France. I think the French Government are living in the 17th century.They think they are a super power, which they were never anyway. They hold a grudge for the USA having to save their country for the third time, or maybe four if you count when they were ran out of Denbenfeu .spelling? VetNam. Americans, visit Switzerland , not France ! JPM Served in Germany, US Army,PS" We could not get along with the french then, so what has changed.

It's Dien Bien Phu.
Yes, France actually was a superpower at one time. The French empire spanned Europe in the early 1800's, and French culture defined high society in a bunch of countries until just recently. (French was the diplomatic language for a long time. It is English now.)
France was, as of a couple of years ago, the country that received more tourism than any other in the world.
The French certainly get their influence/culture around. They may not have an army that could defeat ours but you can't say they aren't influential culturally. Historically they have been very influential. This can be seen as a different sort of power.
I completely disagree with your opinion about France. The only reason we had to "save" them in World Wars I and II was because of geography. If we had been two countries away from Germany, we too, would have been captured. Luckily, we have the benefit of an ocean separating us.
I also COMPLETELY disagree with your assertion that we "saved" them. We didn't. We didn't enter WWII until 1944, while the war had started in Europe three years before that. We did provide the bit of extra "oomph" that the allies needed to take the Western front, but we hardly "saved" anyone. Yes, it was our efforts -- (along with those of the British)-- that liberated France from the Nazis, but we shouldn't give ourselves all that much credit. France gave much much more towards allied victory in WWII than we did.
The same goes for WWI. More than 2,000,000 French soldiers died in WWI, while the US only lost 50,000. The facts are, we didn't live there and we weren't that invested in it. You can't give yourself credit for making the cake if all you did was put the cherry on top. It seems like that's what you're trying to do here.
And . . .regardless of how many times we have aided France in the past, they have every right to express their opinion on world affairs regardless of which stance we take. Do you believe in the "free speech" you have fought to defend? Those who claim France is "ungrateful" because it dared speak out against us on this Iraq business seem to think that other countries can only say/think what they want as long as they agree with us. That is not only an arrogant stance, it's hypocritical for a country that believes in self-determination to think that way.
Been to France. Been to Switzerland. I would chose France over Switzerland any day.
Just my five cents.

i couldn't agree with "a dissenting opinion" more (which is often the case with me). the US has been quite a fast burner, excelling and progressing, producing great developments. but lately we have become quite pompous. we have such a short history compared to our european cousins, and our memories seem to follow suite.

when will we realize that not everything is a competition, and that real winners learn how to work together?

like James, i am also a veteran. i spent 6 years in germany with the USAF. but unlike James, apparently, i actually interacted with non-americans during my time in europe. meeting many germans and french helped me to escape the fallacy held by many americans that individuals from other countries are supposted to somehow be just like us, doing and saying things in exactly the same manner we would. its amazing how far a little open-mindedness will get you.

fox (i mean, faux) news should be honest and change the 'news' in their name to 'slant'. they are perpetuating mass-ignorance and the disturbing fear-culture we seem to be bombarded with.

how many americans still remember that without the French help,
theses 13 colonies would probably still be british....
is someone remember that benjamin franklin, sail across the atlantic in order to have french help.
moreover your "so great" president washington failed his promise by conluding a separate peace with UK without france.
and do you know what is the "treaty of paris"?
do you really have schools in your empire? (i'm sorry, in your..how do you called it "democracy"? do you know what that word means? most of you are manipulated, so you are not free indeed)
but i do not care, if you are so dumb it's not my fault! i don't want to live in your so dangerous country!
the american dream have gone now for many people in the world.........

Awesome. You're a perfect example of French arrogance, and exemplify why Americans generally don't like you Frogs.

imho french arrogance looks pretty much the same as american arrogance.

I agree with you Steve, and I would like to point that we should better avoid a widespread confusion between a government's politics and a country's people here.

I am french and I am not J. Chirac's supporter (btw, calling someone a frog because he is french, Keith, is very stupid: better be "arrogant" than stupid!), and I know that there are americans that do not support every action of G.Bush (thanks to God or whoever is in charge of Mankind above ;-) ).

First, I am very conscious that there are a lot of differences that are starting to emerge between Europe (yes, "old Europe" in the sense that it is those countries that are the oldest part of european Union) and the United States, but I think that the explanation is very simple: the american way of life and the american capitalism NO LONGER are a model for the rest of the World, as they have proven themselves to destroy more things than they can solve problems, at least since the 90's.

And yes, that's only a point of view, as good as any other. What seems bad to me, is to have someone think that the rest of the world needs him, or better, needs his way of life.

About the last crisis, I did not and still do not think that invading Irak was a good thing; I am pretty sure that there would have been much more point (and much more support?) in invading Saudi Arabia: this obscurantist country happens to back up every islamist terrorist group around the world and is not beloved in the arab world, but the truth is that the US can't (and probably don't) want to do that, because of Oil.

I do not think that France or Germany "are now begging" to be part of the occupation force: as far as I know, it's even the complete opposite. As the Bush government now has to pay the price, he is looking again for new comrades. I think the american medias are manipulated here (as ours, of course ).

Last, what I think is that those who still protect themselves behind an offensive stance can prepare themselves to be hurt badly in the world of tomorrow, because the american government - like our european governments before - has only demonstrated one thing through the invasion of Irak: that he can't rule the world alone anymore: WE HAVE TO SHARE RESOURCES AND TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD. Yes, that doesn't mean that we have to tolerate/to help dictators, but, first prove that you are able to give; then help.

My opinion doesn't make of myself an enemy of United States, or of americans. Now, please, have everyone take a look at all these demonstrations that happen now in muslim countries: this is courtesy of G. Bush's politics. So I do not think that it is arrogant to warn you, americans - or whomever - who still support Bush, that the main consequence of his politics is a substancial increase in anti-american hate everywhere in the world! Even France and Germany, that were and still are your allies, prove they were defiant of this government - not of americans - but of Bush's politics. So stop saying "those who are not with us are against us" (the world of today is a bit more complicated!) and vote against Bush to prevent him of dishonouring your great nation!

I forgot to specify that I do think that we -the French- should do the same, as J.Chirac and G.Bush deserve the same: be punished, for electoral fraud (Bush) or for financial fraud (Chirac), but be punished!

James P. Miller (#2874)

Your comments reflect exactly why many Americans such as yourself are seen as arrogant culturless morons. France WAS a superpower, culturally and militarely from the 16th to the 19th century. Besides, only a superpower could have engaged England overseas and give you your independance, don't you agree?

French was at one point the diplomatic language of England and Russia. I am aware that the US "saved" France twice (although WW1 was almost over when the US entered it. 1.7 million French soldiers died), but never 3 times as you wrongly suggest. As far as Vietnam, they went in and fought with a tiny fraction of what the US had at its disopsal. Men had to be parachuted, the dead and wounded had to be transported by hand. My father fought there. They fought very hard and lost 50,000. And despite France's warnings, the US went in and we know what happened. And they did not "run" since they had no helicopters to bail out...

Read your history, travel, respect other cultures... you might learn something.