French President Jacques Chirac praised President Reagan after his death as "a great statesman who will leave a deep mark in history." But then Chirac decided not to attend Reagan's funeral, even though he was in the United States-at Sea Island, Ga.-for the G-8 Summit last week.
A spokeswoman at the French Embassy in Washington told HUMAN EVENTS that "President Chirac had many commitments and he could not get out of them." She said that Chirac would be meeting with the Vice Premier of China in Paris and, therefore, could not attend. "He's sending two other personalities in his place," she explained. Chirac's insult to America is transparent, and plainly political. Anti-Americanism helped him win his second six-year term as President of France in 2002.
