Head-to-Head With the French Ambassador

Oh you should have been there Wednesday night.

At long last, John Gibson went toe-to-toe with the French ambassador to the United States, Jean-David Levitte (search).

It was a long awaited event, because the ambassador has consistently declined the opportunity to come on my show or, for that matter, on Bill O'Reilly's show.

The event last night was a speech I gave at the Federal City Club in Washington D.C. about my book, “Hating America, the New World Sport.”

Mr. Levitte, the ambassador to the U.S., and Peter Gottwald (search), the deputy chief of mission from the German embassy, were invited to comment on my speech and my book and I was reminded of the line on the posters for the public speaking engagements of Mark Twain: The trouble begins at eight.

And I did expect trouble. Mr. Levitte is on a campaign in this country to convince Americans that France is America's best friend, while me and O'Reilly are shouting back just as loud, oh no they're not!

The trouble didn't materialize.

Mr. Levitte and Mr. Gottwald were consummate diplomats, and as you know, I'm a novice, wannabe diplomat.

But the good news is Mr. Levitte promised to come on my show and we'll debate the U.S. and France contretemps live right here, just for you. We might even invite O'Reilly to sit in as a special guest. That might take a little diplomatic negotiation.

I'm telling you this now because I'm all excited, but I must warn you not to expect it soon.

Mr. Levitte is French, of course, and they take August off, so you should look forward to the great Franco-American debate sometime in September. Probably a bit after Sept. 11. The ambassador might think debating me on that day would unfairly give me a rhetorical advantage.

That's My Word.

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