CARLSON: I would say there is a deep strain of unreasonableness in the French culture.

In the wake of 9/11, one of the single best sellers in France is a book, as you know, called “The Big Lie,” that claimed that the attacks on the World Trade Center were all part of a conspiracy by the Bush administration. I mean why should the United States listen to a nation that would buy a book like that?

JUSTIN VAISSE, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Of course. But then why should France listen to a nation that has newspapers like [The New York Post]? I mean that’s outrageous.

(APPLAUSE)

VAISSE: No, I think that — I really think that’s not a good argument to make. And you know you mentioned that Tom Friedman’s column saying that France was isolating itself just, you know, to make — to posture to seem important and all that. But, you know, let me remind you that President Chirac — in France, people are opposed to the war without the second resolution by 74 percent. But in the rest of the world, it is more like in the 90s — 90 percent.

And so of course Chirac is isolated. He’s somewhat isolated. But you know he’s isolated with billions of people. And so I think — you know, I think it is right that somebody is making the point.

(APPLAUSE)

EPSTEIN: Well, you know, I think that it — again, it’s regretful that France has been so public in its I think undermining of the Bush administration. I think that Bush, by the same token — you know Teddy Roosevelt had the adage walk — talk softly, carry a big stick. I think Bush has replaced that with a competing version, which is a diplomatic bull in a china shop…

CARLSON: But just, honestly, just correct the misperception here. This is not simply an effort by the administration to beat up on France. This is coming — there’s a deep wellspring of anti-French feeling in this country, and it’s going to have consequences. This is a bottle of French wine. This is a bottom [sic] of American wine.

(SCORNFUL SILENCE)

VAISSE: It is bigger.

CARLSON: And it’s bigger. That’s exactly right. More forceful. There will be Americans who boycott French products. This in the end is really going to hurt France, isn’t it?