You Know You’re In Trouble When the French Military Bails You Out

In another sign that the Bush admin has blown it in Afghanistan, support for military operations in that country increasingly has come from — ahem — France. You know, the country we called a bunch of pussies because they didn’t support Bush’s application of the theory of Manifest Destiny in Iraq.

According to the Associated Press, the French are big-time propping us up in Kabul and Central Asia:

French fighters have been flying sorties under U.S. command in Afghanistan since Aug. 16, and France also took command this month of an international naval task force on terrorism-related patrols in the seas between the Horn of Africa and Pakistan.

France has kept about 900 troops in Afghanistan since 2003, including 200 Special Forces soldiers fighting alongside the Americans. Its air force periodically has joined the U.S.-led coalition since taking its biggest role in the war’s opening weeks in 2001, when France had 5,500 troops in the region.

“It’s France’s wish to show that we are cooperating in the fight against terror and in support of you in Afghanistan,” said French Air Force Col. Gilles Michel, who oversees his country’s air force role in the theater. “We told the Americans, ‘If you need some assets, we will provide them.'”

Assets? Hey Gilles, how are you guys set for presidents and cabinets over there?

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