Michael Totten
The superpower takes a breather
Strutting around the world like a colossus doesn’t appeal to anything in the American soul. We do it because somebody has to, because we can, and because most of us sense instinctively that we’ll wake up in a different world if Russia and China take over the job.
France stepped up in Mali for a similar reason. Because somebody had to, because Americans didn’t feel like it, and because the French could.
Washington was relieved. Americans don’t worry about waking up in a different and darker world if France calls a few shots internationally. The French share American values, more or less—unlike the Chinese and Russians. So thank goodness France was there to relieve us.
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At least being broke has one upside: neoconservatism is suddenly a lot less appealing.
Neocons hardest hit.
Armin Tamzarian on February 7, 2013 at 4:53 PM
Eff Neocons.
HondaV65 on February 7, 2013 at 4:54 PM
Repeatedly, in the codpiece, with a chainmailed fist.
The ~60%-70% who have already WISED THE **** UP, however, should be exempted.
MelonCollie on February 7, 2013 at 4:57 PM
50′s terms heavy laden.
tom daschle concerned on February 7, 2013 at 5:02 PM
“We are not the 911 of the world” — Panetta
Schadenfreude on February 7, 2013 at 5:02 PM
Not to worry. President Choom will have the U.S. down to third-world status before the end of his term.
RoadRunner on February 7, 2013 at 5:10 PM
France did our dirty work for us this time while Obama’s at the helm. France gets to be the Neocons this time. We’ll get back to the heavier lifting with time.
thebrokenrattle on February 7, 2013 at 5:31 PM
Bwahahahaha.
DeGaulle is laughing heartily, probably in hell.
The French have only French values. They value no one else’s values. The French think rest of the world should value only what they value. They act in only their own interest and they do not give a crap what the rest of the world thinks. That includes stabbing the US, and other nations, in the back on occasion. The only reason we were deemed to have invaded Iraq “on our own” was because France opposed us. But France only opposed us at the last minute after telling us they were with us all the way.
The US could learn something from the French about acting only in our best interest and not giving a crap what anyone else thinks. That’s how France is and it hasn’t hurt them a bit. It hasn’t hurt their national security and it hasn’t hurt them economically.
You can be sure France is intervening in Mali only in its own best interests.
farsighted on February 7, 2013 at 6:01 PM