This is ridiculous, why are people assuming that the US will take the Canal off of France by force? What, we want it, we take it? Ermm yeah, that wont help the US. Again as someone said, the US army before this time wasn't fantastic. Unless relations seriously sour, why would the US want to steal the Canal from France? Just to have it? Politics don't generally work like that without a major war being involved. France and America at this time had good relations, to suddenly turn on a friend like that would be seriously out of the US character. I think the US would gain de facto control over the Canal during WWII after the fall of France, or they'd seize it from the Vichy government. Actually on that note, if WWII followed as it did in our TL who would take the Canal?
And just on the Ho-Chi-Mihn comment, last I checked NO-ONE has scored any real points against him and I can't believe that was even brought up considering the United States fared just as bad the French. Think before making such inane comments.