Now, some of you may be wondering what has inspired the current use of this quote. Others might be curious about the accordion referances associated with this quote on the main page. All of this will be explained shortly. First of all, this quote was actually inspired by another quote I heard recently. And this original quote was so funny that I knew it needed to go up on this page somehow. So, the above rant is little more than an excuse to feature this awesome quote. Amazingly enough, the quote I'm referring to actually came from the CBC National News. Normally, there are few really funny quotes to be found on news programs, but this case is a real exception. In order for you to fully comprehend the quote, I'll have to give a bit of the background. Now, as most people should know, the U.S. is preparing to invade Iraq. Many other countries have doubts about this plan, especially some in Europe. Germany and France in particular have been very vocal in their opposition. In relation to this story, the CBC was interviewing a former U.S. diplomat about the growing rift between France and the United States. His response, and I quote:
"Going to war without France would be like going deer hunting without an accordion. You get to leave a lot of noisy and useless baggage behind."
That is clearly a great quote! It's absolutely guaranteed to offend the French! In fact, this quote totally explains why this guy is a former ambassador. With these kinds of statements, this guy would have to be one of the worst diplomats ever. But one of the funniest, too, which almost makes up for it. Still, it's easy to see why the United States has such a bad global reputation. Quotes like this go a long way towards angering allies and foes alike. Anyway, now you can likely see why I have been making a few accordion referances throughout this quote. I do have to agree that accordions are both noisy and useless, especially when deer hunting. Almost like bag-pipes. Except without the obvious advantage that bag-pipes are often played by angry Scotsman with awesome accents.
First of all, I should include a disclaimer with this quote. It is not meant to offend anyone, and some of the views presented do not represent the total views of this webpage, the nation or Coca-Cola incorporated. But this quote does bear a strong resemblance to many French policies that have been instituted throughout the years. In fact, the French surrender quite often. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. After all, they've had so much practice that they've become quite good at it. In the amount of time it would take most people to raise a white flag, they've already surrendered and moved their capital to Vichi. This tactic is certainly more effective than several others that the French have employed. Principally, I'm referring to the Ligne Maginot, a huge line of French fortifications along the German border. This defensive line was constructed before World War II, and considered quite invincible by the French military. Unfortunately, they did not count on the Germans' ability to simply go around the Ligne Magniot, thus rendering it absolutely useless. Faced with the failure of their Ligne Maginot, the French had no choice but to fall back on their most trusted tactic: Surrender. As usual, this tactic served them well. And was likely much cheaper than the Ligne Maginot. After all, the French probably keep a huge stockpile of white flags just in case an emergency situation pops up.
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