HOWARD DEAN — French-basher?

Though Dean has repeatedly criticized Bush for failing to win international support for the Iraq war, for instance, in June 1998 he defended Clinton’s bombing of Iraq by arguing on the Canadian program, “I don’t think we could have built an international coalition to invade or have a substantial bombing of Saddam.”

During another 1998 appearance on the show, “The Editors,” Dean said it was not worth trying to woo French support on foreign policy initiatives. “The French will always do exactly the opposite on what the United States wants regardless of what happens, so we’re never going to have a consistent policy,” he said.

Asked about the comment, Dean said he now thinks that because the French “have seen how bad things can get with the United States, they might respond to a new president who’s willing to offer them respect again.”

No flipflops there. Just an acknowledgment that Bush’s policies have left the French chastened, and malleable!

UPDATE: This, on the other hand, is more than just a flipflop.