VC, my first reaction about "French Fighting Words" was just like yours.
But...maybe they are serious because the article points out, "On Thursday, the French backed Mauritanian forces in attacking an al-Qaida camp on the border with Mali, killing at least six suspected terrorists. It is the first time France is known to have attacked an al-Qaida base."
But...on the other hand, maybe the French let their alligator mouth overload their tadpole ass because the article goes on to say, "For the French, the move may have backfired. The al-Qaida group said in an audio message broadcast Sunday that it had killed Germaneau in retaliation for the raid."
But...for some reason when I think about "Fighting French" I keep getting this visual of warmed-over escargot.

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading, The few who learn by observation, the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
[Will Rogers]