Wisely steering away from any “snide remark about the vanity and hypocrisy of modern-day France”, David chooses instead to criticise Benjamin Franklin for this take on the French:
always play to their pride and vanity by constantly seeking their opinion and advice, and they will admire you for your judgment and wisdom.Benjamin Franklin was, as I think Fireside Theatre once pointed out, the only president of the United States never to have been president of the United States. So I have nothing but respect for the great man.
I’m inclined to believe that there may still be some wisdom in what Franklin said, however injurious it may be to French vanity.
I agree that Franklin’s observation cannot serve as the basis for a resilient alliance and we should “remind ourselves and the French that our nations are founded on shared ideals.”
But I also think that any alliance founded on ideals rather than on the interests of states is likely to fail the first time it's put to the test.
