The Power of the American People

The power of the American people: that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo".

"T-Points" knows there is no more powerful presence in America than the folks. A few months after 9/11, "The Factor" called for a boycott of French goods and travel to that country because the Chirac government actively supported Saddam Hussein.

If France had aligned itself with Britain and the USA and demanded that Saddam stop jerking around the weapons inspectors, if France had supported tough action against the dictator in the U.N., the Iraq War would not have happened.

Saddam would have backed down. To the very end, according to captured documents, Saddam thought France and Germany would save him.

We now know that some French business people were making millions from Saddam, selling him weapons and getting corruptoil-for-food money. So the boycott of France is righteous, even if some on the left don't see it that way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": Are you still doing the boycott of France?

O'REILLY: Yes. We're boycotting France.

STEWART: Oh, that's why we can't watch Colbert.

O'REILLY: Oh, stop. Will you? What is this? People from Marseilles? What? Oh, give me more wine. I mean, these are our enemies over there.

STEWART: When was the last time France truly mattered in - don't you feel like that's wearing you down? Your outrage must be channeled to -- I don't know if you know this, but they never found weapons of mass destruction.

Why don't you go after those guys? What are you, seven [feet tall]?

O'REILLY: Why go after those guys? What's the matter with you? Buying into this left wing line? Geez. You pinhead. If you think France is our friend, it's ridiculous.

STEWART: No, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

All right. Now you may remember that some far-left elements mocked the boycott, saying it was totally ineffective. -- They love France and everything for which it stands.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the wine cellar. A little research was done by a Stanford University economist. And as The New York Sun pointed out, that research is published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

It says French wine sales in America dropped by 13 percent during the first six months of the Iraq War, costing France an estimated $112 million. And that's just wine. The researchers don't believe I, your humble correspondent, had anything to do with it, but certainly you did. So good for you. We have shipped tens of thousands of "boycott France" bumper stickers from billoreilly.com and continue to do so. We are happy millions of folks see our point.

Doesn't get any more serious than the War on Terror. And we need all the help we can get fighting Islama-fascism. The countries that help us like Britain and Denmark should be rewarded. Those who don't, like France and Spain, should be held accountable in the marketplace. After all, that's what freedom is all about.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

A cartoon movie called "Curious George" opens this weekend, aimed obviously at little kids. But some adults in the San Francisco area don't much like the film, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Complaints range from American imperialism, because an American white hunter goes to Africa, to animal cruelty, because the hunter brings backs animals to zoos, to anti-smoking because the monkey, Curious George, is allowed to smoke a pipe.

All of this sounds very dangerous to me, although I am a bit curious as to why grown people care about a cartoon. Curious and probably ridiculous.