French fries protester regrets war jibe (via Brian Kane)
If we were given misinformation intentionally by people in this administration, to commit the authority to send boys, and in some instances girls, to go into Iraq, that is wrong. Congress must be told the truth.
- Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)
Most of us no doubt remember the whole “Freedom Fries” fiasco, in which what seemed an entire nation decided that “French” meant “cheese-eating surrender monkey”. What better way to display our ignorance, intolerance, and xenophobia than to brand an entire country as a bunch of effete cowards unworthy even of our acknowledgement?
Now, finally, the Republican Congressman responsible for this silliness has admitted that yes, it was all a mistake, and yes, he is a DUMB@$$. Mea culpa and all that. Whatever….
It was a culinary rebuke that echoed around the world, heightening the sense of tension between Washington and Paris in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. But now the US politician who led the campaign to change the name of french fries to “freedom fries” has turned against the war.
Walter Jones, the Republican congressman for North Carolina who was also the brains behind french toast becoming freedom toast in Capitol Hill restaurants, told a local newspaper the US went to war “with no justification”.
Mr Jones, who in March 2003 circulated a letter demanding that the three cafeterias in the House of Representatives’ office buildings ban the word french from menus, said it was meant as a “light-hearted gesture”.
But the name change, still in force, made headlines around the world, both for what it said about US-French relations and its pettiness.
Now Mr Jones appears to agree. Asked by a reporter for the North Carolina News and Observer about the name-change campaign - an idea Mr Jones said at the time came to him by a combination of God’s hand and a constituent’s request - he replied: “I wish it had never happened.”
Although he voted for the war, he has since become one of its most vociferous opponents on Capitol Hill, where the hallway outside his office is lined with photographs of the “faces of the fallen”.
OK, we all make mistakes, and we all hope to be forgiven and allowed a second chance when we do. And one can certainly understand a politician, particularly a Republican, getting caught up in the jingoism and xenophobia of the moment. Nonetheless, we generally count on our elected representatives to take care of the people’s business in a sage, dispassionate manner. To stoop to the level that Jones did is simply beyond the pale and an unacceptable abuse of power- not to mention being only truly worthy of a confirmed DUMB@$$.
Jones’ action started a trended that continues today. Through France is hardly a lovable and easy to defend ally, no country deserves to be treated with the bigotry and off-handed disregard that we have as a nation showed it since 9.11. Just because a country disagrees with our government does not give us the right to demonize everything about it. People get hurt by these actions- as any Muslim assaulted in the US after 9.11 can attest to.
I admire the courage that Jones has showed in realizing what a DUMB@$$-quality move he was guilty of. I also admire the resolve and courage he has shown in owning up to his error and now admits that we were lied to about the necessity of going to war in Iraq. Would that more Republicans could remove their anteriors from their posteriors. If that were to happen, perhaps we could put an end to the madness that has thus far cost 1600+ American lives….
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