Two European nations emerged with credit from the Iraq disaster: France and Germany. Both had the courage to withstand the Bush administration and oppose the U.S.-led invasion.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Europe cannot survive another world war.
The French suffered such catastrophic losses in the First World War. It really was the end of them as a great world power, although they, quote, 'won.'
The French had an obvious financial interest in Iraq. That's been documented. They were involved financially in Iraq and in some cases, I think with weapons of mass destruction.
When France resolved, along with England, to lend assistance in the legitimate defense of Poland, the realization burst on us that a conflict of awesome proportions was inevitable.
Each had defended his own country; the Germans Germany, the Frenchmen France; they had done their duty.
The same European governments that hesitated to confront terrorists were more than prepared to oppose us.
Further, not only the United States, but the French, British, Germans and the United Nations all thought Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction before the United States intervened.
I would like to tell our American, British and Spanish friends that the Iraqi crisis is not a problem between the United States and France, but between those who want to move forward in the logic of war and the international community.
If you ask the people in Europe who won World War II, they don't say the Allies; they say the United States won the war and saved the world.
In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world.
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