Tom Friedman wonders if America and western Europe no longer share the same values.

Well, duh. We still believe in our Constitution and sovereignty, and they have become worshipers of tranzi socialism. I wrote a few months ago, just before we started the Iraqi campaign, that we’re in a new Cold War with France. Nothing has happened in the interim to alter my opinion.

And in rereading that piece from March, this “what-if” game occurs to me. Suppose we had gotten Turkish permission, and had been able to wage a two-front war against the regime? Much of the Sunni Triangle might have fallen much sooner, and much more decisively, Saddam might have found it harder to escape there, being caught in a pincer between two armies, and there might not be as many dead enders there now with grandiose delusions. Much of the difficulties that we’re having now might have been alleviated.

If so, thanks again, France.

[Update on Monday at 3:20 PM PST]

Here’s some more information, based on interrogation from Tariq Aziz, now that his family has been spirited out of the country, and some related commentary from Belgravia Dispatch.

From the MSNBC piece:

Saddam Hussein refused to order a counterattack against U.S. troops when war erupted in March because he misjudged the initial ground thrust as a ruse and had been convinced earlier by Russian and French contacts that he could avoid or survive a land invasion, former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz has told interrogators, according to U.S. officials…

…Aziz has told interrogators that French and Russian intermediaries repeatedly assured Hussein during late 2002 and early this year that they would block a U.S.-led war through delays and vetoes at the U.N. Security Council. Later, according to Aziz, Hussein concluded after private talks with French and Russian contacts that the United States would probably wage a long air war first, as it had done in previous conflicts. By hunkering down and putting up a stiff defense, he might buy enough time to win a cease-fire brokered by Paris and Moscow.

Well, my first response could be, what in the hell would the French know about surviving a ground invasion? But that might be unkind.

If true, it means that Moscow and Paris fooled themselves about their diplomatic ability as much as Saddam did about his military ability. It also means that they were doing everything in their power to avoid pressuring Saddam to meet his UN obligations, by removing the threat of ending his regime, thereby in fact making war even more necessary and certain.

That sounds like aiding and abetting the enemy to me. Regardless of whether Ledeen was right or wrong about France influencing Turkey, it clearly wouldn’t have been out of character. As I said, France is not our friend.