That’s Danish for — you guessed it — cheese-eating surrender monkeys. I learned this because one of Denmark’s leading newspapers, Berlingske Tidende, translated the phrase for their readers. In the last few weeks the Economist, The New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Times (London), the Straits Times (Singapore) and a half-dozen other newspapers and magazines around the world have mentioned the Oste-ædende kapitulationsaber, usually giving me credit for popularizing the phrase. I’ve got a piece coming out in this Sunday’s LA Times explaining my actual position on the French. But, in the meantime, let me say that I’ve been wronged by all of them, including Rich Lowry.

I have never argued in the current context that France is afraid of Iraq.

Yes, yes, yes, I have referred to the Chee….er…the Oste-ædende kapitulationsaber on more than a few occassions. Yes, I was Frog-bashing before Frog bashing was cool. But many people, Rich and Mark Steyn included, have conjured the CESM phrase, attributed it to me in the context, and then asserted that I think France is being cowardly. I don’t think they’re being cowardly. I think they’re being jerks, but not cowards.