[Culturechat] The Western Front By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

[WesTexas@aol.com]

The Western Front
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN for <A HREF="aol://4344:2564.NYT.27789446.590191015">
The New York Times</A>

Excerpt Follows:

There are three fronts in this Iraq war: one in Iraq, one between America and 
its Western allies, and one between America and the Arab world. They are all 
being affected by this unilateral exercise of U.S. power. For now, I've 
embedded myself on the Western front, where, I can report, all is quiet. 
France is shocked and awed.

No, there is no massive retreat here from the position staked out by the 
French government and public opinion against the war in Iraq. But the angry 
chasm this has opened between Paris and both London and Washington has 
shocked many people here and prompted some to ask whether France went too 
far. The title of the latest cover story in the French newsmagazine Le Point 
said it all: "Have They Gone Overboard?" The "they" are President Jacques 
Chirac and his foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin.

"People here are a little lost now," said Alain Frachon, the senior editor of 
Le Monde. "They like that their country stood up for a principle, but they 
don't like the rift with the U.S. They are embarrassed by it."