Guest editorial: Now the French are getting it

His exact words, following a meeting of foreign ministers from Europe and North Africa, were: "Obviously, a pullout from Iraq today would be catastrophic and would absolutely not correspond to the demands of the situation."

Moreover, he urged a united international effort to stabilize Iraq, even though the French recently declined to support such an effort.

This is the same de Villepin who connived mightily to block a second U.N. resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. And the same de Villepin who, as chairman of the U.N. Security Council, invited Secretary of State Colin Powell to New York on short notice for a private meeting only to go public with a passionate denunciation of any U.S. plans to forcibly disarm Iraq. Powell's aides angrily accused de Villepin of a "diplomatic ambush," and it's been pretty much downhill ever since.

If de Villepin truly believes a U.S. pullout would be a disaster, he could convince his government to give us some incentive to stay there by committing French troops and money to stabilizing Iraq.

Maybe there's hope for the French yet.