WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For centuries the very mention of France has conjured up images of elegance and sophistication but in an increasingly heated U.S. presidential campaign, "French" has become a dirty word.
Capitalizing on anti-French sentiment among some Americans following France's decision not to back the war in Iraq, some Republicans have repeatedly accused Democratic contender Sen. John Kerry of "looking French."
The conservative press has jumped on the bandwagon, spurred by an anonymous Bush adviser making the comparison to The New York Times. Wall Street Journal commentator James Taranto, for example, has many times referred to Kerry as a "haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat."
...
President Bush and his campaign have not characterized Kerry in such a fashion publicly and the Bush campaign declined to comment. "Pas de commentaire," said spokesman Reed Dickens jokingly.
...
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6616793Edit: something strange happened to the subject.