Chirac Planning U.S. Visit

In a briefing yesterday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the U.S. and French governments are working on plans for President Jacques Chirac to visit Washington.

It seems that Chirac has much more to gain from a meeting with President Bush than vice versa. With a perennial unemployment rate around ten percent, Chirac's socialist economy has exhibited continual doldrums exacerbated by an informal U.S. boycott of French products. The wine industry has been hit particularly hard, resulting in nationwide protests last year. As such, Chirac will try to get any help he can from Bush.

On the other hand, it probably makes no difference whatsoever whether Chirac visits Washington or not. His hatred of the United States, in general, and President Bush, in particular, is biological.