I thought it was those French existentialists who were supposed to be the gloomy ones, morosely sipping their espressos at Left Bank cafés while contemplating the end of everything. But according to Agence France Presse, of all people it's Fred Thompson who wallows in the Slough of Despond.
Check out this line that AFP, which has an odd corporate status by which it is partially controlled and subsidized by the French government, slipped into the end of an article on Thompson's campaign plans:
He harbors a dark world view of looming future threats and has accused NATO allies of slumbering through a showdown with Al-Qaeda's forces of "nihilism."For AFP, Thompson's "dark view" is all too real, while Al-Qaeda's nihilism is something to be be shrugged off in scare quotes.
Yes, why can't we be optimistic? Say, like the French in 1939, so sunnily secure against Germany behind the impregnable Maginot Line.
Note: the article focuses more on Thompson-the-actor than on his more serious, senatorial past. Note the headline, "TV star Thompson set for 2008 Iowa test-run," and the way the article twice refers to him in the first three paragraphs as a "star" and only once as a former senator.
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
