Appease, appease, appease: French Policies Pay Dividends

The French, it seems, have managed to retrieve a couple of their journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, from the hands of Islamonazis in Iraq. It goes without saying that this 'retrieval' didn't involve any act of courage or daring on behalf of the French, but, rather, a series of highly secret negotiations between the Surrender Monkeys and their Muslim pals.
Suggestions that it also involved the payment of a huge ransom which the terrorists will use to murder Britains, Americans and Iraqis have been denied. Because, of course, that would amount to the French government funding terrorism. And they just wouldn't do that, would they? Well, would they?
In any event, Jacques 'King Weasel' Chirac has cut short his holiday in -- get this -- Morocco, in order to welcome the reporters back home. Suggestions that he's only doing this in order milk the story for political capital are cruel insinuations. Because, of course, Chirac is a man of principal, isn't he? Well, isn't he?

Perhaps the biggest mystery surrounding this whole affair, however, remains largely un-discussed in the press -- Just how dumb were Mr. Chesnot's and Mr. Malbrunot's kidnappers?

"Al-Jazeera, the Arab television network, quoted the men's kidnappers, the so-called Islamic Army in Iraq, as saying they were released because "it had been proved they were not spies for American forces'"

You needed *proof* guys? Your hostages were *French*. The only way they could've demonstrated more loyalty to the Islamist cause would be growing beards and letting out hearty 'Allahu Akbars' every time an attractive female goat walked by.