Great orater! Sarko, great speech! Its time we worked towards bringing people together rather than capitolizing on our differences and petty issues.

Change is the only permanent thing.Its innevitable! It may take sometime to get a people thinking in a certain way (positive) But they eventually begin to catch it!

Bravo!

Oooops thanks for the correction ….

(I blame the translator)

The movie is propaganda ? Let’s say so, there wasn’t much contradictory debate about it here, then it doesn’t make the war in Iraq look prettier. Saddam had to be removed ?: then others MUCH more dangerous are waiting on the list. We don’t share the same values ?: then bomb us ! Faithfully yours.

Here you go Thierry. You’ll quickly see that the “manipulations of informations” was made by Michael Moore.

The symbol of America is a Bird they take a left wing and a right wing to fly if you forget that you have a bird flopping upon the ground in circles

Thanks DSB. We sometimes have a tendency to forget that.

Also. We’re the ones who started bashing our French friends and others who did not go along with our invasion. What Sarkozy said as he extolled the virtues of the U.S. may be true but why is he so kind when we’re the ones who should be apologizing for treating them as surrender monkeys?

A nos amis français: oui, vive l’amitié France-USA.

Thierry, if you’re still quoting Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 movie years after it’s propagandistic lies were laid out, then there’s not much we can talk about.

You should be embarrassed.

What the French people are NOT: people like us, with the same values and concerns.

Egh. No bother. As you are one who saw the removal of Saddam as “needless”, we might as well be living on different planets.

I’m french and I was really eager to listen to Sarkozy’s speech. I wondered if he would be able to transmit the french people real point of view rather than the political one. And…yes he succeeded, sometimes with a little excess of sentimentality but yet necessary to stress on the unquestioned french debts for the US help during WWs I and II . The French don’t hate Americans, be sure of that. What are the French: people like you, with the same values and concerns, living in a smaller country but who simply don’t want to hush their opinion against the loud voice of America, all the more if we have disagreements on important issues, Iraq for example. But this brief summary hides the political side of the story. As I said, people are much the same on both sides of the atlantic ocean, but what opposed our countries, and still oppose countries to each other are political struggles to defend their nation’s economical interests. I read in an article from a US person that France refused to back up the war in Iraq because we had companies there: well, it’s highly probable that we had a few there (as others must have had though), we’ll never have all the elements, but it was worse to declare a war only to establish US companies to run the Iraqi oil production. No need to add that no weapons of mass destruction were found and that these were the argument n°1 to declare war.Don’t get Chirac wrong by the way, he was probably as much pro American as Sarkozy is. He made studies in the USA, can talk fluent english and loved your country, it was well known here. In my opinion, he got tremendously disapointed by the violent US reaction against France after its refusal to back up the war in Iraq that seemed so needless and dangerous to us. Do I have to mention that our troops were (I was one of them)and still are side by side in Afghanistan against the talibans ? Chirac’s government feared a destabilization in the middle east as a consequence of the war against Iraq. Never were we ennemies and nor will we. Let’s see to that. Let’s simply not be manipulated by our political representatives. I recommend watching ‘Farenheit 9/11′ from Mikael Moore, there is a lot to learn from this movie. Let me add one last thing: Europe is not a threat for the USA. It won’t be an economical adversary because it’s already is, but is in the same time a partner, and the best thing to expect from the rise of a strong and unified Europe is the birth a major military Ally to help the US deal with peacekeeping side by side all around the world. Don’t get me wrong, we all have had, have or will have the american dream here in France. Finally I will use Mr Sarkozy words before UC Congress : Long live the United States of America. Long live France. Long live French-American friendship!

It’s a long speech but I will post four quotes that I found to be the best.
On the American dream: (He calls us the greatest nation!)

To the millions of men and women who came from every country of the world and who — with their own hands, their intelligence, and their hearts — built the greatest nation in the world, America did not say, “Come, and everything will be given to you.” Rather, she said, “Come, and the only limits to what you will be able to achieve will be those of your own courage, your boldness, and your talent.”

On self reliance:

The America that we love throughout the world impedes this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a second chance, another chance, because, in America, failure is never the last word. There is always another chance. Here — in your country, on this soil — both the humblest and the most illustrious citizens alike know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned. That is what constitutes the moral value of America.

On gratitude:

America liberated us, and this is an eternal debt we owe America. Every time, whenever an American soldier falls somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France. I think of them and I am sad as one is saddened to lose a member of one’s family.

On France’s future and our shared history:

We need France to be stronger. I am determined to carry through with the reforms that my country has put off for all too long. I will not turn back. I will implement all of them, because France has turned back for all too long. I have come to present to you today a France that comes out to meet America, to renew the covenant of friendship and alliance that Washington and Lafayette sealed in Yorktown. Together, let us be true to their memories. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I say this to you on behalf of the French people: Long live the United States of America. Long live France. Long live French-American friendship!

Yeah he had some points where I would disagree. (global warming in particular)

But this was a foreign leader who gets America. Merci … Vive la Franes!

(never thought I’d type that!!!!)

I’m French, and I’ve only one thing to say: even if it’s nice what Sarkozy said and did, making France become friend with US again, I thing he should first become friend with half of the French people again. He’s much to do here but doesn’t seem to be more here than everywhere else in the world.

Likwidshoe, when citing this movie, I was talking about the manipulations of informations made by our political representatives. In this movie, Moore tells the old close ties between Bin Laden’s family and Bush’s one, as well as the huge benefits gained by close members of G.W.Bush’s administration thanks to contracts granted by the government in order to ‘rebuild’ Iraq. What I meant was that we (people) were on bad terms with each other on the basis of unmoral risky business from head of states. Even if a war is declared or vetoed for bad reasons, our moral job is to choose one side for good reasons. (easy to say, while we’re depending mostly on official news, I know)

I shall select four more quotes.

My Generation shared all the American Dreams fueled by winning the West and Hollywood. By Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, Hemmingway. By John Wayne, Charles Heston, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth. And by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins fulfilling mankind’s oldest dream.

Artists/Dreamer’s all of them from go figure both parties.

Those that love this nation which, more then any other, has demonstrated the virtues of free enterprise expect America the first to denounce the abuses and excess of a financial capitalism that sets too great a store on speculation. They expect her to commit fully to the establishment of the necessary rules and safeguards. The America I love encourages entrepreneurs, not speculators.

Think about the cost of a gallon of gas did a Sultan get the flu? Or Record labels suing their very customers, or Microsoft shutting your OS down because you did not prove to them your valid purchase 3 years after the fact, or Apple bricking I-Phones because they did not like AT&T as their provider. Or maybe Comcast faking IP address to slow network traffic.

America’s strength is not only material strength, it is first and foremost a spiritual and moral strength. No one expressed this better then a black pastor who asked one thing of America: that she be true to the ideal in whose name he-the grandson of a slave–felt so deeply America. His name Martin Luther King. He made America a universal role model.

America is a land that accepts people of any faith or color. Other people were hearing beyond the colors of parties or faith of people I was there I know. Our very Constitution forbids any one faith having rule over government rules, laws or policies.

The deliberations of your Congress are conducted under the double gaze of Washington and Lafayette. Lafayette, who’s 250th birthday we are celebrating (my note France)we are celebrating this year and who was the first foreign dignitary, in 1824 to address a joint session in Congress. What was it that brought these two men so far apart in age and background together, if not their faith in common values, the heritage of Enlightenment, the same love for freedom and justice? Upon the first meeting Laffayette told him: I have come here to learn not to teach. “It was this new spirit and youth of the Old World seeking the wisdom of the New World that opened a new era for all of humanity

This was actually at the start of the speech. But clearly he is not talking about Washington DC but of Laffayette and our first president. Also take note France wanted to improve it’s own new found freedoms based not only upon Washington but by a JOINT Congress which includes both parties and founding fathers.

I’ll server up a reminder to people that those that are elected are in fact servants of the public not a Star or personality on MySpace or Facebook. Both parties claim to have answers yet between them have no dialog only pat canned responses.

Don’t tag me as anything I am over 50 years old know my civics have lots of money and I’m well a baby boomer that has washed my hands of either party I vote across lines I want my public servant to do what is best for everyone not a party. So you should really worry about us boomers my friends are all like me some DNC some RNC to their death but mostly we are pretty pissed at the rock stars in government we want people to solve problems. The symbol of America is a Bird they take a left wing and a right wing to fly if you forget that you have a bird flopping upon the ground in circles.

I love the French, and I’m part French (great grandfather I think). Yeah, he’s a helluva lot better than Chirac from the first speech. But wake up people, we’re talking about the French here.

I guess it is a relief to witness some backbone again from the French, even though they really don’t mean or know what they’re saying.

http://www.hermes4sale.biz/“>Hermes Handbags