There was similar speculation after the World Trade Center events — if the majority had had their way so that Al Gore had taken office, would he have done the same kind of cheerleading for a Global War On Terror that Bush did, or might he have called for no less international coordination but termed the events crimes rather than acts of war?

But calling for GWOT served, and continues to serve, interests on all sides of the conflict. Hollande probably needs the various kinds of support that French arms industries provide in order to continue his own agenda, non?