Just as President Bush was 'deeply mourning' the death of Andrew Wyeth, his administration was being derided for one of its last balmy acts. A 300% tariff is being imposed on one particular French cheese. Whilst the rest escape with a mere 100% penalty in retailation for French refusal to accept US hormone-treated beef, only Roquefort rejoices in the distinction of being placed firmly beyond the reach of American consumers. Whether or not US goat's cheese makers are celebrating their new found commercial advantage is hard to say, but French farmers are telling a very different story. Last time they were punished in this way they burnt down a Mcdonalds. But a reprieve may be imminent. In the hope that he will wake up and smell the fromage, President Elect Obama has been sent a sample of the blue-veined product.
Comments
Yes...but there's a lot of drama in the past if you're familiar (if not, some good background info is here: http://tinyurl.com/dgx48f)
Obama will have a hard time waking up and fixing things given the complex nature of relations.
Thanks for your comment and the link, tho it doesn't convince me the sanction is anything other than daft. Given the higher standards of food labelling and production in Europe, it's no wonder hormone treated beef has been boycotted. Obama will certainly have more on his plate than cheese for some time to come.
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