"freedom isn't exactly a concern I see for the French people" -> YOU are going to retire that, Winewood. And now. The last people who said that about French were the Nazis. This kind of statement goes over the limits of acceptable.
"Using the most accurate predictor of the future.. which is the past."
THIS is the exact thinking what made France lose WWII so fast. And that loss you overstated all over the forums.
Now.
Without the French the US would be a UK colony.
Without the French thinkers the US would be a kingdom, or some kind of dictature.
We can go far like that.
Using a *completely different* situation as a point of reference is ludicrous. WWII as about a rising superpower taking everyone around by speed. The war in Europe was about *freeing* Europe from the Nazis.
In Iraq, it's about taking over oil resources. I don't see any element of comparison.
Besides, after all the insults you (and others) dumped on the French, and the "we're the rulers of the world so STFU" attitude, are you still asking yourself why there's some kind of anti-american feeling floating around?
Finally your statements about French army have no relation with the problem at hand. If France supported war, we would have sent what we had, and money, etc. And the veto at the UN has *nothing* to do with the size of our guns. Hopefully diplomacy doesn't work like that.
(edit) Hey BB2K you got it all in 2 points
nice