The Roquefort Files

The Washington Post reports:

In its final days, the Bush administration imposed a 300 percent duty on Roquefort, in effect closing off the U.S. market. Americans, it declared, will no longer get to taste the creamy concoction that, in its authentic, most glorious form, comes with an odor of wet sheep and veins of blue mold that go perfectly with rye bread and coarse red wine.

The measure, announced Jan. 13 by U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab as she headed out the door, was designed as retaliation for a European Union ban on imports of U.S. beef containing hormones. Tit for tat, and all perfectly legal under World Trade Organization rules, U.S. officials explained.

Is it just me, or does this smell like a parting shot at cheese-eating surrender monkeys?

Update (2/1): The Economist's Free Exchange says: "Yes, while Europeans will be relishing delicious bleu cheese, Americans can eat hormone-injected beef with a side of stale freedom fries."