MERCI, M. CHIRAQ
It seems the French intransigence about which I and countless others have hyperventilated is having at least one salutary effect: it's saving Tony Blair's political life:France's opposition to a war with Iraq under any circumstances may be responsible for a sudden shift in public opinion in Britain, according to the Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. A new poll reveals that the number of Britons opposed to the war has dropped by 13 percent in the last two months. In January, fully 73 percent of Brits were opposed to a war with Iraq. That figure has now fallen to 60 percent, according to the YouGov survey published in the Sunday Times.
Reuters reported that the poll showed that while 49 percent of Brits said a war without a second U.N. resolution would be against their will, with another resolution a whopping 76 percent would support military action.
The poll also showed that Britons are unhappy with France and its threat to block a second U.N. resolution. The YouGov survey said 70 percent believed France was wrong to take that stance, while only 22 percent supported it, leading the paper to speculate that the French opposition has sparked resentment among some Britons, causing the drop in anti-war sentiment.
Chiraq may be Saddam's best friend, but he may also be his own worst enemy.