"ArVa" wrote:

"Chad Irby" wrote:
"...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.

!?

The French (and for that matter, most of Europe) have very little in the
way of strategic airlift assets, and about the same amount of sealift.
They're an "expeditionary army" with no transportation. Their entire
current airlift assets (pending the new Airbus planes on order) are a
small fraction of the US. For a heavy sealift, they have to rent ships
from the commercial fleet to get anywhere.

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

Sure... But if more Americans and French knew better the other country, its
history, its culture and its political system, maybe we wouldn't experience
the current situation...

Well, if the French weren't trying so hard to isolate their culture
(official language, et cetera), and if the French weren't trying so hard
to establish themselves as a powerful country (despite the evidence)...

"Continental sensibilities" means he says nice diplomatic things about
the Europeans he has to work with on a regular basis.

It's a bit true but nevertheless a nice comment by an American official is
so rare these days that it had to be underlined... :-)

Rarity doesn't mean accuracy. In this case, the old saw about diplomacy
being a bunch of people lying over dinner rings true.

If he were telling the truth, he'd be the *former* NATO Supreme
Commander...

And what would be such a truth? Hmm?

That France, along with most of the European countries, can't exert much
force beyond their own borders without significant American help.

By the way, as you speak of former NATO commanders, here is what says
another one of them :

"if you really want allies, you got to listen to their opinions, you've got
to take them seriously, you've got to work with their issues. Every one of
our allied leaders is an elected leader, at least in Europe. And that means
they have domestic politics and political factors at home and economic
factors at home that influence their opinions. And those have to be
respected just like we would expect them to respect us for our political
system in the United States.
If we deal with our allies on a basis of respect, if we give them the
opportunity and the evidence and the arguments and the analysis that's
needed to help shape their public opinions, then we can expect them to go
along with us." Wesley Clark.

Funny how he doesn't mention anything about European armies having any
significant power outside of their own borders.

I don't know if he has any real chance to be your next president, but the
current administration would be inspired to take one or two of his ideas in
condideration...

Clark, if he gets the nomination, will lose. Badly. But don't worry...
some of his past statements about Iraq are already coming back to haunt
him. No chance for Wesley Clark.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.