a damn good article on basically how america is treating france after the iraq fallout.

some choice cuts:

Clearly American tourists don't agree with him. Americans are now deeply hostile towards France, but they're not holding demonstrations, carrying signs, marching on the French embassy, or desecrating French tombstones. The American grass roots aren't into empty symbolic displays. We don't scold our enemies, or admonish them.

Americans are holding an ongoing plebiscite on the question of French friendship, and they are voting with dollars. Individual Americans are deciding for themselves who they'll give their money to, and France is no longer a favored choice. This is true democracy, a collective display of public opinion, and it is Jacksonian to the core. Democracy is more than just holding elections; it's a commitment by the people and a belief that they're part of something larger, something important, something worth working to save and protect and defend, something that matters. True citizenship in a democracy is active and continuous.

There was little in the way of attempts to formally organize a boycott of France. There were a few web sites, a bit of activism that 99% of Americans probably never heard of. The US government never talked about such a thing, nor did either political party. No "leader" tried to make this happen.

But millions of Americans care about their nation, and won't reward its enemies, especially those who hypocritically claim to be friends so they can get close enough for a back-stab.

The people of the United States are many and are powerful. We lend some of that power to our government, but we retain even more. Our government serves us, but does not rule us.

read the whole thing. there's a lot of links to stories to back up the claims.

update: wow, USS Clueless is a pretty good site. I just read the author's thoughts on why israel isn't considered a 'true' ally and why australia is ... good stuff.

edit2: damn yo. this article is changing my mind about world politics ...

edit3: why europe is falling behind