Stardate 20030602.1150

(On Screen): An opinion column in The Telegraph says that irrespective of attempts to portray the relationship between the US and France as healing, and to "put the disagreement about Iraq behind us", that the US actually will punish France.

Punish France, ignore Germany, forgive Russia: that was the succinct reaction by Condoleezza Rice, America's National Security Adviser, to those countries' opposition to the second Gulf war. ...

France will be punished, largely by reduced defence co-operation. Whatever the consensual blandness of the Evian communiqué, the mutual antagonism between White House and Elysée remains.

Yes it does, but the punishment won't be administered by the US Government exclusively. It's being administered by Americans collectively, through their decisions on how to use their wallets. And where it's going to bite the strongest is the French tourist industry.

There's one report that France has already suffered a $500 million drop in American tourism, and the summer is still young. And despite the reputation Americans have for a short attention span, this isn't something that's going to end in a few weeks. Now that the government of France has forced itself onto the radar screen of individual Americans, every future attempt by them to screw us over will work on a long term negative attitude towards them.

Nor is this anything which can be changed by whining about unfair treatment in the American press. Victimology won't save them. Americans naturally support underdogs, but we have no sympathy for crybabies.