From todays NY Times online edition-
A day after Mr. Powell presented evidence to the Security Council that he said showed Iraq was deceiving inspectors in its determination to conceal or obtain nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, many experts said there were signs that France was preparing for a possible shift in position.
France's only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, sailed this week from the southern port of Toulon for exercises in the Mediterranean. French media have reported that the country's military is engaged in a hurried effort to retrofit munitions so they would be compatible with American weapons.
France's former army chief of staff, Jacques Lanxade, told a French newspaper that the nation could send as many as 12,000 troops to Iraq if it comes to war.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, speaking during a trip to India, said: "We're not systematically pacifist, but we think war isn't nice, and we don't want war. We know that it's the last resort that could be considered when all other options have been considered."
A day after Mr. Powell presented evidence to the Security Council that he said showed Iraq was deceiving inspectors in its determination to conceal or obtain nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, many experts said there were signs that France was preparing for a possible shift in position.
France's only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, sailed this week from the southern port of Toulon for exercises in the Mediterranean. French media have reported that the country's military is engaged in a hurried effort to retrofit munitions so they would be compatible with American weapons.
France's former army chief of staff, Jacques Lanxade, told a French newspaper that the nation could send as many as 12,000 troops to Iraq if it comes to war.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, speaking during a trip to India, said: "We're not systematically pacifist, but we think war isn't nice, and we don't want war. We know that it's the last resort that could be considered when all other options have been considered."
Wow. Deep $hit, man.
