The French have given Americans a harder time on the international stage than anyone else. Driven by their own self-importance and their frustration at no longer being a superpower, the French talk down to us with galling self-righteousness. They love our movies and our fast food, but hate our values, our politics, and especially our president. And the feeling is mutual, particularly in the last few years.But as Richard Chesnoff points out in his book, the love/hate relationship between France and America didn't start with the election of George W. Bush, or even Ronald Reagan. It goes all the way back to the days of Benjamin Franklin and that uppity Rene Descartes. Compared with Charles de Gaulle, Jacques Chirac is a piece of cake to work with.France's attitude has always been a problem, explains Chesnoff, who has lived in France most of the past twenty years while writing for major American magazines and newspapers. He explains how the French really think and what drives their jealousy and arrogance.On a more serious note, Chesnoff reveals why French culture is in decline, why their economy's in dire straits, and how their hands became more than a little soiled from anti-Semitism and financial ties to the murderous regime of Saddam Hussein. Read Less