French Fries Back on the Menu

But hold the sour cream. Still too many Democrats in Congress!

A couple more quick takes here before heading to the beach for the Backgammon Tourney:

• Gerard Baker, writing in the U.K. Times gives a British perspective on the Queen's visit, but more importantly, on the change of government in France.
• Baker also points us to this excellent article by GOP favorite Fred Thompson, writing in National Review:

  Break Out the French Wine
  By Fred Thompson
  National Review
  May 10, 2007
  
  The election of Nicolas Sarkozy to the presidency of France has been a serious blow to those who claim that America has earned the undying hatred of Europeans. Oh, to be sure, the French media hates us, but there are a lot of people who say ours does too. Regardless, Sarkozy’s victory has sent shock waves through the world’s media centers.
  
  A French president who openly admires America is an embarrassment to those who view us as the country bumpkin cousins of the sophisticated Europeans. American pundits and politicians who say we should change our foreign policies to win the European popularity contest ought to be feeling a little embarrassed too.
  ...

• Not to be outdone by anybody, Ann Coulter gets into the act:

  C'EST SI BON
  Ann Coulter
  May 9, 2007
  
  ...It looks like the Democrats are going to have to drop their talking point about Bush irritating the rest of the world. Evidently not as much as Muslim terrorists irritate the rest of the world. The politicians who hate Bush keep being dumped by their own voters.
  
  At the Democratic presidential debate a few weeks ago, B. Hussein Obama carped that Bush had "alienate(d) the world community" and vowed that he would build "the sort of alliances and trust around the world that has been so lacking over the last six years."
  
  Democrats are terrific at building alliances. Remember how Jimmy Carter won the love of the world by ditching our ally the Shah of Iran, allowing him be replaced by a string of crazy ayatollahs? Since then, we haven't heard a peep from that area of the world.
  
  The smartest woman in the world sniped that she would "create alliances instead of alienation."
  
  Yes, it was spellbinding how her husband charmed North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung and his sociopathic son Kim Jong Il by showering them with visits from Jimmy Carter and gifts from love-machine Madeleine Albright. And that was that: No more trouble from North Korea!
  
  As I understand it, the center of the supposedly America-hating world is France. But now it turns out even the French don't hate America as much as liberals do.
  ...