A man of principle: "“I should rather have paid attention to what I was saying and understood that perhaps I was on the record,” he said."
"“Shiites do not have the reaction of the Sunnis or of Europeans,” said Mr. Chirac, who over the years in private meetings has expressed distrust of Shiite Muslims." Well, Chirac's love and admiration for a sect is directly proportional to cash donations made to him from members of that sect.