French war planes flying over Lybia

... by western warplanes. Originally Posted by JohnnyFarangly

Some soon to be "driven" by Middle Easterners.

How freakin embarassing must this be for obama....that he is going to be seen as sarkosy's bitch. It sure isnt going to do him any good to be seen as weaker than the french.....watch out prez, here comes another one upside the head.......to quote Tina Turner: " Hit me again Ike, but this time, put some stank on it!"

I see nothing in Raphael's posts here to indicate he hates the US. Well known behaviour, if US citizens criticise quality of it's leadership, no problem, if somebody from outside does, all hell breaks loose.

Americans are, in my experience, generally lovely people and intelligent, but they could be a bit more sensitive to the dangers arising from being a world power.

I don;t judge the French by my experiences with Parisian taxi drivers, I don't judge the US by comments on a SHMB.

US saving the world? Watch this:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d5b_1205415894

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTOPJFsj8gU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiKc37mhy58


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc47Wcso3hU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYRx7lLZf8[/quote]


A few minor points: If you didn't pick up on Raphael's general tenor, then - no frying pans intended - you may need to re-read his posts. He consistently generalizes the right wing, xenophobic mindset of some Americans to apply to America in general. Since all countries, even the U.K. and France (e.g., LePen), have such elements, this is of course erroneous.

In regard to the links - they are amusing, although probably more so to Brits than Americans due to context. I understand that U.S.-bashing is just as cheap and easy a way to get laughs in Europe as Euro-bashing is here in the U.S. However, they are about as relevant and applicable to the discussions at hand as links to Dennis Miller's right-wing rants. Sorry, but since I don't like Dennis Miller, I don't have any links.

And, I like France. I've always enjoyed my visits there, including the people, the food, the culture, the history, etc. France has given the world a lot. My objections were with Raphael using all things French to belittle America, whilst ignoring much of the historical reality of the 20th Century. Really, the U.S. 'provoked' Soviet expansionism? The Western allies, including France, certainly didn't think so in 1949 when NATO was formed.

Davec, nice to see you imply you support the concept of NATO, and I hope by extension you aso see the value of the UN.

Both institutions have flaws of course, but the 'let's go it alone and ignore the rest of the world community' rants here are, I hope, just representative of the small minority of ignorant xenophobes.

Al Murray is not at all anti american or using any nationality for cheap laughs. Everybody is up for abuse to him, that is normal for a stand up in UK. He is actually a higlhy educated historian (can't remember whether Cambridge or Oxford degree) who has done other factual television programs about the war and Germany. His stage persona is just that.

I wish I could find somewhere his sketch on the tediums involved in manually bringing a woman to orgasm, and how he tries to mastrurbate her (after his wrist gets tired) with his feet so he can reach out for his beer, which he finds much more interesting. Hilarious expressions, and like most comedy it has some basis in reality (mine at least) with the difficulties of boredom kreeping into long term relationships.

... the 'let's go it alone and ignore the rest of the world community' rants here are, I hope, just representative of the small minority of ignorant xenophobes..... Originally Posted by essence

Are you referencing the ranting about "going it alone" in 2003?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-N...Iraq_2003-2009



Just asking.

A comparison:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/files/f...on%20final.pdf

2003 = 40 countries
Lybia = 15 countries, and counting backwards daily.

It's all a matter of perception. not a matter of fatcs.

The comments above I find 'interesting and typical hopefully of a small minority' are:

AM I missing something or did the UN tell the US what to do? Doesnt the president have to consult with Congress? Are we getting wagged now? I love our potus.

I know right. Sad isn’t it. What a twerp he is. We tell the UN not the other way around. I was just appalled that he let the chips fall that way.

BO says he wants to turn it all over to the French and the Brits. They can only substand a no fly zone for 2 weeks. Who does he think he is fooling?
It's all halfed baked.
Are we going to now be lead by the French and the UN? LMFAO!
Very poor leadership by BO.

Anyway, I quite fancied the girls in blue.

Go it alone? What do you think your right hand is for?

It's all a matter of perception. Originally Posted by essence

A problem with this guy, and I'm talking Obaminable, he is all perception.

Kinda like a loud fart. Noisy, stinky, offensive, and no substance.

Kinda like a loud fart. Noisy, stinky, offensive, and no substance. Originally Posted by LexusLover

Damn, I knew my last girlfriend was seeing others.

...

It's all a matter of perception. not a matter of facts Originally Posted by essence

Hey Essence, do you get MSNBC or CNN there in the UK?

It's all a matter of perception. not a matter of fatcs. Originally Posted by essence

http://www.afriquejet.com/news/afric...103236094.html

"ONU-Libya - The Italian Foreign Affairs minister, Franco Frattini, is threatening to ban the coalition’s planes from his country’s military bases, demanding that the operation should be placed under the command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). France has rejected the Italian demand 'because the operation’s initiative was launched on the basis of the UN resolution', the French Foreign Affairs minister, Alain Juppé, said at the close of the EU foreign affairs cabinet meeting. The uproar within the coalition is such that Norway has decided to withdraw from the group, while waiting for the operation to be placed under a single and well defined command.

"Those divergences are the early warning signs that the coalition would break up shortly, a European military expert, who did not want to be identified, said.

"He said the operation had already reached its objective as set by the UN Security Council resolution 1973 to establish a no-fly zone, adding that since Saturday, no Libyan plane had taken off.

"The European military expert added that the resolution does not include the coalition supplying the insurgents entrenched in Benghazi with logistic reinforcements.

"For the European military expert, 'the collapse of the coalition is predictable'."
__________ End of quoted material _____________________________

I hope the French "stay the course" .... at least there will be ...

... a coalition of three.

But I suppose that is a matter of "perception" based on FACT!

Hey Essence, do you get MSNBC or CNN there in the UK? Originally Posted by gnadfly

We get CNN, Sky news, BBC, and various other news channels. I don't get Fox (I am on Virgin cable). From what I hear that is no loss.

My laptop home page seems to be pointed to MSN news. Not sure if that is related to MSNBC. MSN seems to be dominated by basketball, which has zero interest for me.

I often get my news from the UK Daily Telegraph, which is right of centre but has always had good foreign coverage. The joke used to be that it was a right wing paper with left wing journalists, don't know how true it was or whether it is still true.

Even when in US (which I am a lot), I never watch television, get all my news from internet.

As for Ghadaffi, I hear he has this blond Ukranian, Galyna Kolotnytsk, who travels with him. So I guess he is just another misunderstood hobby guy like Charlie Sheen and the rest of us.

Chrome and the rest of you, it is pretty obvious you HATE the fact that Obama is President and Black. Nothing you can do about it so just get over it.

Impeach Obama? Bush committed more impeachable offenses and you didn't say a work so just zip it.

As for Ghadaffi, I hear he has this blond Ukranian, Galyna Kolotnytsk, who travels with him. So I guess he is just another misunderstood hobby guy like Charlie Sheen and the rest of us.

Chrome and the rest of you, it is pretty obvious you HATE the fact that Obama is President and Black. Nothing you can do about it so just get over it.

Impeach Obama? Bush committed more impeachable offenses and you didn't say a work so just zip it. Originally Posted by BigLouie

Not really seen anyone comment on him being black, so I guess because he is black we should look the other way when he shows the world how icompetent he is? He is an empty suit that has no clue what he is doing which goes for his white half as well.

As for Ghadaffi, I hear he has this blond Ukranian, Galyna Kolotnytsk, who travels with him. So I guess he is just another misunderstood hobby guy like Charlie Sheen and the rest of us.

Chrome and the rest of you, it is pretty obvious you HATE the fact that Obama is President and Black. Nothing you can do about it so just get over it.

Impeach Obama? Bush committed more impeachable offenses and you didn't say a work so just zip it. Originally Posted by BigLouie

Awful "big" of you Louie to play the race card. Its been said many times, its the man's policies and actions.

Who mentioned impeachment of Obama other than some of the Dem Libs? There were no impeachable offenses with Bush and from what I can tell Obama is following the same policies as Bush. So why would there be any impeachment hearings of Obama?

Something was done in 2010 and it will be finished in 2012.