France says foreign troops should leave Iraq in 2008 [The United States has "failed in Iraq"]

[strizi64]

07/02/2007 00:01 LONDON, Feb 6 (AFP)

France says foreign troops should leave Iraq in 2008

The United States has "failed in Iraq" and should pull out foreign troops in 2008, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said in an interview published Tuesday. ......

.......If you do not say that in one year there will be no more American or British troops in Iraq, nothing will happen in Iraq except more deaths and crises," said De Villepin, who opposed the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

"In Iraq ... the diagnosis is cruel. The US have failed in Iraq," he told the FT, adding that the question now was "how do we stop the spiral (of violence)."

http://www.africasia.co.uk/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=070207000108.ai2z96yl.php

[Bonobo]

1. Ouch! That one's gonna leave a mark!

[mazzarro]

9. Yep - indeed it will leave a big dent some place ! -- n/t

[Bhaisahab]

2. K&R!

[Eugene]

3. AFP: US rejects French call for Iraqi withdrawal timeline

US rejects French call for Iraqi withdrawal timeline

Tue Feb 6, 10:03 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House has rejected a timetable for withdrawing US
troops from Iraq as proposed by France's Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.

National security council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said he was not surprised by the
French officials' call for US and allied military forces to pull out of Iraq in 2008.

"Their comments are consistent with their previous statements," he said.

"A timetable for withdrawal before the Iraqi Security Forces have the capacity to protect
the Iraqi people would lead to greater violence in Iraq and that is not something that we
can let happen," Johndroe added.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070207/pl_afp/iraqunrestfranceus_070207030331

[rodeodance]

4. This comment by France will "embold' the Bush WH!!

[orpupilofnature57]

5. Freedom Fries again?

[POAS]

6. OUI.......................n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Everyone knew we were going to fail before we went in.

Now, even Bush admits we failed. The question is, how long will it take for us to accept that failure? And once accepted, how much longer will it take to leave?

[The Count]

8. Villepin, you foxy hunk. you just spanked the monkey but good!

In case you forgot the good guy from the UN spectacle:


also, this one, from Bartcop:

[karynnj]

11. If that's what it means to "look French",

it really really sounds like a compliment.

[roamer65]

10. The French were right.

Perhaps it was Dien Bien Phu in '54 and Algeria '62 that gave them the wisdom that this Iraq war would be a fiasco?

[The Count]

12. Even Jonah Goldberg admitted, And yeah, at least they learned from their mistakes

We have someone in charge who thinks that the lesson of Vietnam was to never ever go away.

[orpupilofnature57]

14. They learned about provincial pride in the 18th century.We haven't

[MasonJar]

13. Wow! Thanks for the pic of Villepin. What a hunk nails it! I love the

French; they have had Bush pegged from the gitgo.

[Hotler]

15. Back to Freedom Fries in the capital building mess hall. eom...