The Chirac Doctrine

Bring bags of cash.

This story up at Newsqueek points out the hypocrisy of the Dem/Kerry rap on Bush's "coalition of the "bribed". We knew Turkey was for sale, now we know their price.

France gives the nod to Turkish membership in the European Union.

What is Paris up to?

"When French presidents invoke "the national interest," often as not it means they've cut a deal they'd really rather not explain. But when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came courting President Jacques Chirac in Paris last week, hoping the ever-reluctant French would back Turkey's bid to join the European Union, the cash-and-carry policymaking was right out front.

As one senior Turkish official told NEWSWEEK, the intention was to "spread a package of economic benefits" before Chirac that "France could not reject." Sure enough, Turkish Airlines announced it would purchase 36 Airbus planes worth more than $1.5 billion. Erdogan also hinted he might be in the market for France's big-ticket nuclear technology. And just as surely, after years of implicit opposition and fence-straddling, Chirac suddenly decided that support for Turkey's candidacy suits "the national interests" of France."

The bit about "big-ticket nuclear technology" is worrying. How long before the media and the Dems recognise that France is not our ally, but a stealth member of the Axis of Evil? Perhaps their participation in Chinese naval exercises was a large clue?