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December 15, 2003
France and Germany have done enough harm already By Tom Smith I am really tired of conservative journalists criticizing the Pentagon's decision to exclude non-coalition members from bidding on Pentagon contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq. First, David Brooks on the Lehrer News Hour, now George Will. If they weren't trying so hard all the time to strike the "I'm conservative, but I'm reasonable" pose, they would be wrong less often. It is only because pundits spend so little time in the real world that they don't understand that there really are national security considerations to who gets these contracts. I think the story was in the news, but I heard directly from a high-ranking Marine officer deeply involved the planning of the Corp's brilliant advance on Baghdad, that the French satellite phone manufacturer whose phones many journalists were using, really did give the codes to the Iraq army that allowed them to track the Marines and Army movements. This was flat out sabotage by a French contractor. Many, many infrastructure projects that need to be completed in Iraq are sensitive to terrorism. Not just phones, but power, water, roads, and on and on. Why on earth should we give those contracts to firms that we know have worked closely with the Baathists in the past? How stupid are we supposed to be? We don't want to find out that all those bio-chem weapons are not a myth by finding 10,000 dead Iraqis some morning in Baghdad after M. de Grotesque has given the keys to the water supply to some al Queda operative in exchange for a case of champagne and a night with his sister. The French and German governments have proven that they are unwilling or unable to stop their firms from doing business with terrorists. The missiles shot at Secretary Wolfowitz were French and brand new -- so why on earth should those companies get the key ring for the systems that will be a big part of Iraqi security? I don't want the French in charge of air traffic control over New York, either. If the French want to prove they are capable of sensitive projects bearing on civilian security, they can show it by protecting the Jews of Paris. |