Spiegel Online [link in German] tells us that fried strips of potatoes, which usually have been referred to as “Fries”, or “French Fries”, will now officially be called “Freedom Fries” in the menus of House Of Representatives cafeterias. “French Toast” will now be called “Freedom Toast”.

Why, exactly, does this American administration believe the world should rally behind its cause when stuff like this makes it obvious that even people in close proximity to the US centres of power have evidently lost their mind?

But on the other hand, it would certainly be a great idea to make “Freedom Kissing” a patriotic obligation. That might even win the US some old-European support :).

Update: The New York Times finds some Congressmen who are wondering why American lawmakers choose to make fun of themselves –

“Making Congress look even sillier than it sometimes looks would not be high on my priority list,” said Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts. “There’s a potential war going on. There’s a lot of debate about is Congress being actively involved in foreign policy. It’s bad enough not to be able to do anything, but I think self-caricature is a poor substitute for thoughtful discussion.”