Send In The Surrender Squads!

From the AP Wire today (didn't find a link for it though):

EVIAN, France - In a sign of reconciliation, French President Jacques Chirac told President Bush on Monday that he will send French special forces to operate alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

"This decision taken by France corresponds both to a wish from the United States and a wish from our country to take part in the stabilization of Afghanistan, so it's a shared interest," said Chirac spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

She would not say how many special forces would be sent.

The new troops will be separate from several hundred French soldiers already in Afghanistan. Those troops are part of an international force operating in the war-torn country or are working as advisers training Afghan soldiers.

The decision comes as Chirac and Bush are working to put aside their feud over the war in Iraq. They met Monday on the sidelines of a summit of the powerful Group of Eight nations in Evian, France.

Chirac riled the U.S. leader and many Americans by strongly opposing the military campaign that ousted Saddam Hussein.

"Working as advisers training Afghan soldiers?" Are we now sending in the specialized surrender squadrons?

Actually, I think the key line is the one in which they say "...a wish from our country to take part in the stabilization..."

France, in general, and Jacques in particular is realizing just how far they marginalized themselves during the run up to Iraq. The understanding that France is all but insignificant has got to be galling the Francocentricity of Chirac. It is becoming painfully obvious to Jacques that that the world really doesn't revolve around Paris.

And so, he has to save face. If he opposed military action in Iraq, the most sensible alternative for him is to send troops to Afghanistan. He can't send them to Iraq because that would be a tacit admission of error, so he sends them to the last fight that he supported.

Chirac is starting to get a clue as to the "new world order." He's just about, oh, nine months too late.