User Clip: Statement by SecDef on US-France partnership

Personally, I welcome the restoration of Franco-American comity. The morning following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I was interviewed by a French television station as a random man on the street in D.C. After stating my support for President Bush's action, but noting my concern that a state of war had not been formally declared, the French reporter asked me whether or not I harboured any ill-will toward the French, to which I answered (in effect), "Absolutely not. Great allies often disagree. Great alliances can manage disagreements. Besides, what we are doing is risky. And, who knows? We may be coming to you in a few years asking for your help to get us out of a big mess." close