In article ,
"ArVa" wrote:

Let's let Gen. James L. Jones, USMC, NATO Supreme Commander, answer your
(smart and intellectually honest) question :

"France has probably the most expeditionary army [i.e., ready to
deploy to distant battlefields] in Europe. And writ large. They have
impressive military capabilities across the whole spectrum of
operations. They're good at peacekeeping; their Air Force is modern,
state of the art; their Navy is modern; their land Army I know about
because I served with them in northern Iraq 11 years ago, and I know
their generals-this is a very, very fine army ".

Note the qualifiers...

"...most expeditionary army in Europe." That's not saying much,
especially since it would take them six months to get any of that army
overseas without American help.

"Writ large" is, to say the least, a kind exaggeration.

It's a very fine army for *Europe*. It's just not that big, or capable
of doing much overseas.

He made this statement in an interview last week with Newsweek :
http://www.msnbc.com/news/972918.asp. There are other sources besides Fox
News, you know...

....and there are other Generals besides ones who grew up in France.

"Continental sensibilities" means he says nice diplomatic things about
the Europeans he has to work with on a regular basis. If he were
telling the truth, he'd be the *former* NATO Supreme Commander...

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Slam on brakes accordingly.