New York Times Editorial - Au revoir, freedom fries (Congress busy at work with all the important issues affecting our country)
New York Times Editorial - Au revoir, freedom fries (Congress busy at work with all the important issues affecting our country)
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 4, 2006
When Congress renamed the French fries sold in its cafeterias "freedom fries" before the Iraq war, Bob Ney, whose position as House Administration Committee chairman put him in charge of the cafeterias, said the change registered "the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France." In the real world, it mainly allowed people to register their strong displeasure at how juvenile Congress was being.
In the last few weeks, as The Washington Times reported, Congress has quietly changed the name back. We could think of many good reasons for the move. "Freedom fries" is now a stale relic of a naïve time, when the war's supporters were convinced that Iraqis would be free right after they finished greeting their liberators with rose petals.
The renaming also was the embodiment of Bush's my-way-or-the-highway diplomacy. A French Embassy spokeswoman gamely said at the time that "we are at a very serious moment dealing with very serious issues, and we are not focusing on the name you give to potatoes." But "freedom fries" was intended to be, and was, a poke in France's eye. Harassing the French is probably not the wisest course now that America may need their help negotiating a cease-fire in Lebanon.
We would like to think that such sound policy reasons account for the change. But the real reason appears to be that Ney was forced to give up his chairmanship of the committee because of his extensive ties to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The current chairman, Vernon Ehlers of Michigan, seems more sensible about both intergovernmental affairs and cafeteria management.
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 4, 2006
When Congress renamed the French fries sold in its cafeterias "freedom fries" before the Iraq war, Bob Ney, whose position as House Administration Committee chairman put him in charge of the cafeterias, said the change registered "the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France." In the real world, it mainly allowed people to register their strong displeasure at how juvenile Congress was being.
In the last few weeks, as The Washington Times reported, Congress has quietly changed the name back. We could think of many good reasons for the move. "Freedom fries" is now a stale relic of a naïve time, when the war's supporters were convinced that Iraqis would be free right after they finished greeting their liberators with rose petals.
The renaming also was the embodiment of Bush's my-way-or-the-highway diplomacy. A French Embassy spokeswoman gamely said at the time that "we are at a very serious moment dealing with very serious issues, and we are not focusing on the name you give to potatoes." But "freedom fries" was intended to be, and was, a poke in France's eye. Harassing the French is probably not the wisest course now that America may need their help negotiating a cease-fire in Lebanon.
We would like to think that such sound policy reasons account for the change. But the real reason appears to be that Ney was forced to give up his chairmanship of the committee because of his extensive ties to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The current chairman, Vernon Ehlers of Michigan, seems more sensible about both intergovernmental affairs and cafeteria management.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 8:36 AM
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