# Holy shit, Jacques Chirac is a fucking shitface **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 18, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880 "2003-02-18T14:04:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/21 "2003-02-18T14:56:31Z")
I agree with the OP 100%. What a total shithead. Please don’t tar all France with this dildo’s brush (any more than one should tar all the US with GWB). > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Brutus_ > **Wow. A Frenchman being condescending.** Et tu, Bruté. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/22 "2003-02-18T15:00:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reuben \* > \*\*I don’t see that he said anything even vaguely offensive. It’s tone is slightly patronising, but otherwise it looks like pretty mild and valid criticism to me, and undeserving of the hysterical overreaction in the OP. \*\* Are you shitting me? “They missed a great opportunity to shut up.” is not offensive where you come from? Directly insulting the heads of state of your allies and calling them “infantile” is a bit more than “slightly patronising.” Stating that a sovereign, democratic nation must by default agree with France or “shut up” in order to join the EU, (which, by the way, France is not the boss of) is most certainly _not_ valid criticism, and deserves far more than the OP’s hysterical reaction. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/23 "2003-02-18T15:03:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*I agree with the OP 100%. What a total shithead. > > Please don’t tar all France with this dildo’s brush (any more than one should tar all the US with GWB).Et tu, Bruté. \*\* Thank you. And please let the record show that my rant is directed specifically at Mr. Chirac, and not French People. Some of my best friends are French People. I swear. 😛 BTW, **december** , you’re not helping. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/24 "2003-02-18T15:07:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*Stating that a sovereign, democratic nation must by default agree with France or “shut up” in order to join the EU, (which, by the way, France is not the boss of) is most certainly _not_ valid criticism, and deserves far more than the OP’s hysterical reaction. \*\* OP’s Hysterical reaction? _Your own_ hysterical reaction? WTF are you talking about? Are you accusing yourself of hysteria, or simply wishing that you could be _more_ hysterical? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/25 "2003-02-18T15:17:09Z")
I am accusing my self of justifiable hysteria, and calling for more hysteria from other people. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/26 "2003-02-18T15:18:06Z")
Well, heh. I came in here to post the same link, too. 😃 Great minds think alike, eh? This was the bit that brought me in here. > [@](#): > > “Romania and Bulgaria were particularly irresponsible. If they wanted to diminish their chances of joining Europe they could not have found a better way,” Chirac said. I can almost hear his disdainful sniff. He makes it sound like getting blackballed down at the country club. _“Romania and Bulgaria were particularly irresponsible in joining in with the students in their fraternity’s stop-sign stealing during Alumni weekend. If they wanted to diminish their chances of joining the Sub-Par Country Club, they could not have found a better way…”_ ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/27 "2003-02-18T15:20:33Z")
But I don’t see a need for hysteria. It’s just the Politicos hard at work, mudslinging. > [@](#): > > “But perhaps it shows just how much Jacques Chirac was stunned by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s differentiation between what he calls ‘old Europe’ and ‘new Europe.’” > > Rumsfeld angered France and Germany when he referred to them as ‘old Europe’ – in contrast to the easterners seeking to join the EU and NATO – in response to Paris and Berlin’s stance against any possible war in Iraq. “Oh yes? Well, your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries…” ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/28 "2003-02-18T15:20:52Z")
> [@](#): > > but Spain and the UK are strongly in favor Well… their _governments_ are. In the case of Spain,[90% of Spaniards are opposed to the war.](http://www.csatelite.es/codigo/noticias/ficha_noticia.asp?id=217785) Of course, there were the 1,3 million protesters in Barcelona, 660,000 in Madrid, and 200,000 in Sevilla - though my favourite statistic was 100,000 in Oviedo (pop. 180,000). ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/29 "2003-02-18T15:29:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > \*\*What you don’t know is how far the French influence carries within the union and what other states in the union agree with the French position but are not vocal about it, because they are more politically saavy. \*\* Are you attempting to lecture me on the workings and politics of the EU? Pray tell, what qualifications do you bring to the table? France does carry influence within the union, but not so much that it gets to unilaterally decide who is getting in and who isn’t, particularly when several other EU governments disagree with the French position - UK, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands (?), etc. If France were more politically saavy, perhaps it wouldn’t imply that the other EU states with equal representation didn’t feel slighted by France’s assertion that France speaks for the EU. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/30 "2003-02-18T15:41:36Z")
> [@](#): > > _Neurotik_ > […] France’s assertion that France speaks for the EU. Or indeed that M. Chirac speaks for France. He _was_ elected after a “hold your nose” campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/31 "2003-02-18T15:47:47Z")
Maybe so, but he’s still the head of the government so he gets to speak for France at this time. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/32 "2003-02-18T16:10:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Billdo \* > \*\*Chirac’s comments tend to underscore the view that France and Germany are the central powers of Europe, while everyone else is peripheral. Although I think Rumsfeld’s “Old Europe” remarks were imprudent in the extreme, I would say that Chirac has an inflated view of France’s centrality in world and European affairs. \*\* Let’s put it another way: “Chirac’s comments tend to underscore his _cherished belief_ that France and Germany are the central powers of Europe.” The French are great believers in the “sound and fury” school of diplomacy, especially when butting heads with the U.S. This is all about _French_ hegemony over _Europe_, imagined or real. Until Germany reunified, France never made any pretence of acting in concert with Germany. They are looking out for number one, plain and simple. This piece from [Slate.com](http://Slate.com) sheds some light on the matter. Personally, I think French behavior has been excreble, and I side with the OP that they have gone waaay too far in their treatment of their European neighbors. If or when those countries do get into the EU, it will come back to haunt France. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/33 "2003-02-18T16:22:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > \*\*You can be anti-war and not pro Saddam Hussein, \*\* Of course you can. And, I would assume that virtually all the protestors hold that position. Yet, the fact remains that if there is no war, Saddam almost surely will remain in power. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/34 "2003-02-18T16:33:41Z")
So if I am against the death penalty, I must be pro-murder. 'cause the fact remains that if there is no death penalty, murderers almost certainly will remain murderers. If any Latin American country were to buck the US view at the same time as it was trying to join a north american trade organization, can anyone seriously doubt that the US would lean heavily on them to shut the heck up? I would hope it would be more diplomatic than Chirac here, but I’m sure it would happen. ---
**Author:** ![JRR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecccb3/32.png) [@JRR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRR)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/35 "2003-02-18T16:34:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reuben \*\*\*I don’t see that he said anything even vaguely offensive. It’s tone is slightly patronising, but otherwise it looks like pretty mild and valid criticism to me, and undeserving of the hysterical overreaction in the OP. \*\* I’d bet a buck that if this was President Bush saying something similar about countries wanting to join NATO, you’d be the first one in the thread calling for his impeachment. ---
**Author:** ![JRR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecccb3/32.png) [@JRR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRR)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/36 "2003-02-18T16:36:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Abe Babe \* > \*\*So if I am against the death penalty, I must be pro-murder. > > 'cause the fact remains that if there is no death penalty, murderers almost certainly will remain murderers.\*\* This changes if, for the past 12 years, the murderer has continually sneaked out of prison to kill more people. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/37 "2003-02-18T16:55:42Z")
I knew that this thread would be here when I logged into the SDMB this morning. And if it wasn’t, I would have started it myself. And, FTR, I am anti-war. Not that that should really have anything to do with it, as this is not about being for or against the war - this is about Chirac trying to control other nations with threats. Very, very low. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/38 "2003-02-18T17:10:58Z")
You have to feel bad for Chirac. His bathroom mirror is actually a painting of De Gaulle – a trick his staff played on him but he hasn’t realized it yet. The costs for police have suddenly jumped now that police are chasing prostitutes instead of terrorists, so he’s having trouble balancing the books. The farmers and truckers have more power than the government. It’s a tough job, y’know. ---
**Author:** ![Reuben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@Reuben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reuben)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/39 "2003-02-18T17:13:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JRR \* > \*\*I’d bet a buck that if this was President Bush saying something similar about countries wanting to join NATO, you’d be the first one in the thread calling for his impeachment. \*\* You’d lose your dollar… I’m just not sensitive enough. > [@](#): > > … this is about Chirac trying to control other nations with threats. Surely every nation that can do this, does do this, like it or not. I guess Chirac’s mistake was to forget to dress up his language a bit. As GWB does so well when he unthreateningly tells the world “you’re with us or against us”. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880/40 "2003-02-18T17:14:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*France does carry influence within the union, but not so much that it gets to unilaterally decide who is getting in and who isn’t, particularly when several other EU governments disagree with the French position - UK, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands (?), etc. If France were more politically saavy, perhaps it wouldn’t imply that the other EU states with equal representation didn’t feel slighted by France’s assertion that France speaks for the EU. \*\* The question mark behind the Netherlands is telling. We’re in the process of forming a new coalition over here, after the January 15 elections. I can’t remember a time when we were ever to _neutral_ about anything. And a damn shame it is, I always get a good laugh out of the attention my nation gets for its viewpoints. It’s usually disproportional to our real political influence. But in this case, we got no attention at all. Our demissionary (and most likely future) PM has been spouting forth meaningless hollow phrases meaning “war is bad, but maybe it’s unavoidable” for weeks now. Still, it beats the shit that came out of Chirac’s mouth last night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-jacques-chirac-is-a-fucking-shitface/155880.md?page=3)