A bastion of democracy falls to rightist hordes!
Sarkozy Sets a New Course for Relations With U.S.
“A vague resemblance to the look of George W. Bush on his Texan ranch,” is how the left-leaning newspaper Libération described Mr. Sarkozy, who was elected president on Sunday, beating the Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal in a runoff. The newspaper dismissed the event as a media stunt, saying, “Everything for the image, right up until the last minute.”
Mr. Sarkozy is unabashedly pro-American, a man who openly proclaims his love of Ernest Hemingway, Steve McQueen and Sylvester Stallone and his admiration for America’s strong work ethic and its belief in upward mobility.
The last film that made Mr. Sarkozy cry was Robert Altman’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” He once said he wanted Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” as his victory song. He calls himself “proud” to wear the label “Sarkozy the American.”
In his acceptance speech on Sunday night, Mr. Sarkozy reached out to the United States, signaling his desire to end the tension with Washington during Mr. Chirac’s presidency.
Addressing his “American friends,” Mr. Sarkozy said, “I want to tell them that France will always be by their side when they need her, but that friendship is also accepting the fact that friends can think differently.”
He was so pleased with the message that he told an American friend just before the speech, “I’m going to talk about America!”
There must have been relief in the White House on Sunday that President Bush didn’t have to call Ms. Royal to congratulate her.
After all, she said during the campaign that she would never genuflect before Mr. Bush the way she suggested her opponent had done. She tried to tar Mr. Sarkozy as an imitator of what she called Mr. Bush’s phony compassionate conservatism. She even told a Hezbollah lawmaker in Lebanon last December that she agreed with him when he talked about the “unlimited dementia” of the Bush administration.
Instead, with the imminent departure of Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, Mr. Bush got to congratulate the man who may well become his new best friend in Europe.
“They had a friendly, very friendly chat,” said David Martinon, Mr. Sarkozy’s chief of staff, in a telephone interview. “Mr. Sarkozy wants to improve the relationship with the United States, to renew it. There’s a need for a change. There has to be a way to restore confidence.”
Mr. Sarkozy is Mr. Bush’s kind of guy: brash, tough-talking and proud of it. Mr. Sarkozy’s vow to rid the troubled suburbs of France of delinquent youths — “scum,” he calls them — is the French equivalent of Mr. Bush’s vow to “Bring ’em on.”
Both men are teetotalers. Both are disciplined exercisers: Mr. Sarkozy jogs and, like Mr. Bush, is a fearsome bike rider.
In Washington, Mr. Sarkozy’s victory has been warmly welcomed.
“We certainly look forward to cooperation with the French,” Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, said Monday, adding: “We know that there are going to be areas of disagreement. But on the other hand, there are certainly real opportunities to work together on a broad range of issues.”
The two presidents will meet in Berlin next month for the G-8 summit meeting of industrial nations, and Mr. Sarkozy would be expected to visit the United States for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat, told CNN on Sunday, “It would be nice to have someone who’s head of France who doesn’t have a knee-jerk reaction against the United States.”
On the same program, Senator Richard G. Lugar, the Indiana Republican, said that “Sarkozy would be favorable to the United States,” adding, “Clearly his views are more in line with ours.”
Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, meanwhile, praised Mr. Sarkozy on the CBS News program “Face the Nation” on Sunday as “the candidate of change.”
Certainly, Mr. Sarkozy has promised never to behave in the “arrogant” way he said that the current French government did in making threats against the United States in the prelude to the Iraq war. “You must have loathed us then,” he said in a speech in Washington last September.
Although he has a bellicose air, he has never suggested that if he had been president at the time he would have sent French troops to fight in the American-led invasion.
“I have been in every meeting Mr. Sarkozy has ever had on the subject, and no, no, he would never have sent troops,” said Mr. Martinon, who also serves as Mr. Sarkozy’s foreign policy adviser.
Indeed, Mr. Sarkozy has long defended France’s decision to stay out of the war, citing the bitter lessons of his country’s tortured history in Algeria and Vietnam.
“We were kicked out of Algeria less than 50 years ago, so don’t tell us that we don’t remember and that we don’t understand,” Mr. Sarkozy told an audience at Columbia University in 2004 in explaining France’s decision to stay out of the Iraq war. “We lived what you are living through in America before you. We were in Vietnam before you, and our young people died in Vietnam.”
He added: “In France, history is something that counts. Please don’t be angry with us because we remember what happened to us. Is there even a single country of the world, at any time of history, that was able to maintain itself in a sustained way in a country that was not its own, uniquely by the force of arms? Never, not a single one, even the Chinese.”
That analysis of the Iraq war sounds remarkably similar to the one articulated repeatedly by Mr. Chirac both publicly and during private meetings with Mr. Bush.
“In Algeria, we began with a sizable army and huge resources, and the fighters for independence were only a handful of people, but they won,” Mr. Chirac said in an interview in September 2003. “That’s how it is.”
nytimes.com
Quotes From, and About, Nicolas Sarkozy
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By ARIANE BERNARD
Published: May 7, 2007
THE KÄRCHER
[After the accidental shooting death of young Sidi Ahmed in the ethnic “Cite des 4000” project of the Paris suburb of La Courneuve in June 2005, Mr. Sarkozy spoke to the family of the boy about using a powerful water cannon in response.]
“Starting tomorrow, we are going to clean the Cite des 4000 with a Kärcher.”
..
DEFENDING THE USE OF THE WORD ‘SCUM’
[On several occasions, Mr. Sarkozy defended his use of the word ‘scum’ to refer to young thugs in 2005.]
“I never thought that I went too far in using the word ‘scum’. I described a situation that I hated, one in which gang law prevailed and thousands of our fellow citizens lived in fear. I called some individuals that I refuse to call ‘youth’ by the name they deserve. I don’t think they should be confused with the young people who have nothing to do with this violent minority.
Then there is the issue of what kinds of words ministers should use. For example, the spokesman of the Socialist Party admitted that the word ‘scum’ was common, but he insisted it was not appropriate coming from the mouth of a ‘ministerial excellency.’ This is a strange conception of the Republic. We’re all supposed to be equal in duties and rights. There is not, in my mind, one set of words for elites and another for the people. There is honesty and dishonesty. There is straight talk and hypocrisy There is vulgarity and proper language. I never felt that by saying ‘scum’ I was being vulgar, hypocritical, or insincere.” (“Testimony”, by Nicolas Sarkozy, 2006)
..
CECILIA
[Cecilia Sarkozy is Mr. Sarkozy’s second wife to whom he’s currently married. Their marriage took a rocky turn in 2005 but they are officially back together.]
“Today Cecilia and I have gotten back together for real, and surely forever. I’m talking about it because Cecilia asked me to speak for both of us. She wanted me to be her spokesman. She could no doubt have said it better than I, but by asking me to do it she showed her modesty, her fragility, and maybe also her confidence in her husband.” (“Testimony”, by Nicolas Sarkozy, 2006)
..
MAY 1968
“I am convinced that we are finally getting out of May 68 and all its slogans. It is no longer forbidden to forbid.” (Interview to weekly news magazine Le Point, December 8, 2005)
..THE SHEEP SLAUGHTER IN THE APARTMENT
“Nobody has to, I repeat, live in France. But when you live in France, you respect its rules. That is to say that you are not a polygamist ... One doesn’t practice female genital mutilation on one’s daughters, one doesn’t slit the throat of the sheep and one respects the republican rules.” (on TF1 television, February 2007)
..AMBITION
“Because, truthfully, I am not more ambitious than the others, at least not those who are doing the same job I am. Only I have chosen not to negate this part of myself that has always driven me to move forward, to try to achieve for myself, to exist.” (‘Nicolas Sarkozy, Au Bout de la Passion, l’Equilibre’, interviews with Michel Denisot — 1995)[This remark at the end of a prime-time television interview in 2003 confirmed the widespread speculation that Mr. Sarkozy harbored presidential ambitions. The interviewer asked the Interior Minister if he ever thought”when [he] shaved in the morning” of becoming one day president.
“I do, and not just when I shave.” (France2 television, November 2003)
..SARKOZY THE AMERICAN
[Mr. Sarkozy, during his trip to the United States as Interior Minister, April 2004]
“Some in France call me Sarkozy the American. I am proud of it, I am a man of action, I do what I say and I try to be pragmatic. I share a lot of American values.”
“You have to love success. Those who succeed must be examples but sometimes, in our countries, people are suspicious of them.” (Le Figaro daily, April 26, 2004)
Mr. Sarkozy commented on French Radio the election of Arnold Schwartzenegger as California Governor.
“For somebody who was a foreigner in his country with an unpronounceable name that can become ... the governor of the greatest [or largest, sic] state of the United States, that is not nothing!” (RTL radio, October 8, 2003)
..
ABOUT FRANCE’S REFUSAL TO TAKE PART IN THE IRAQ WAR
“Let us understand one thing, we were kicked out of Algeria less than 50 years ago, so don’t tell us that we don’t remember and that we don’t understand. Because we lived what you are living through in America before you and we were in Vietnam before you, and our young people died in Vietnam. Dien Ben Phu? Doesn’t that remind you of something?
We had one of the great armies of the world, and this great army of the world turned itself into a prison in the valley of Dien Ben Phu.
In France, history is something that counts. Please don’t be angry with us because we remember what happened to us.
Is there even a single country of the world — at any time of history — that was able to maintain itself in a sustained way in country that was not its own, uniquely by the force of arms. Never, not a single one, even the Chinese. And that’s my third comment.” (Speech at Columbia University, October 2004)
[Mr. Sarkozy gave a speech in Washington in September 2006. He spoke of the Franco-American relationship in the period that led to the U.S. military operations in Iraq.]
“You must have loathed us then, for France to have been the target of such a hostile media blitz. [...] Even though that difficult period is behind us, I have to tell you, as a friend: While you were indignant about France’s attitude, you should know that the French, and not just the 300,000 who live in America, were deeply hurt by all the slanderous accusations directed at them.” (Speech to the French-American Foundation, September 2006)
..ON TURKEY ENTERING THE EUROPEAN UNION
“Negotiations began in 1964. We are in 2007. The time has rather come to tell the Turks whether we want them or if we don’t want them. For me actually, it is not a question of democracy, it is not at all a question of Muslims, of Islam. It is to say that it’s Asia, it is not Europe. One must tell clearly to this great people that is Turkey that they are meant to be the heart of the Union of the Mediterranean but not the heart of the European Union.” (Televised debate with Segolene Royal, May 2, 2007)
..PEDOPHILIA, YOUTH SUICIDES
“I would lean towards the idea, for myself, that you are born a pedophile, and it’s actually a problem that we do not know yet how to treat this pathology. There are 1200 or 1300 youth who commit suicide in France each year, it is not because their parents didn’t take care of them properly! But because genetically, they had a weakness, a preexisting sorry. Take the smokers: some develop a cancer, others don’t. The first have a hereditary physiological weakness. Circumstances are not everything, the part of the inborn is immense.” (Philosophie Magazine, April 2007)
..WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ... ABOUT NICOLAS SARKOZY
“I have known Nicolas since he was 18. I was already elected in Courbevoie and we would meet with a common friend to eat ice-creams at the drugstore of Neuilly. He was already telling us he would be president of the republic one day.” (Andre Santini, a centrist parliament member in the biography ‘Nicolas Sarkozy Au Fond des Yeux, by Nicolas Domenach, 2004)
“Never in this country will a Sarkozy be president of the republic. For that, you have to go to the United States.” (Paul Sarkozy, Mr. Sarkozy’s father, in the weekly news magazine Le Point in 1999.)
nytimes.com
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Some Voices of French Voters
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By MAIA DE LA BAUME and JAMES KANTER
Published: May 6, 2007
PARIS, May 6 — French voters gave a variety of reasons for how they voted on Sunday in the presidential election in which Nicolas Sarkozy, the conservative candidate, defeated Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate.
The voting on Sunday came in the second round of the election; the first round on April 22 eliminated 10 other candidates, including the centrist candidate François Bayrou and the far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Here is a sampling of voters’ views from around France:
SUPPORT FOR NICOLAS SARKOZY
In the ethnically diverse 18th Arrondissement of Paris:
Francis Ethesse, 50, a teacher in a disadvantaged high school of Val d’Oise, north of the capital, voted for Mr. Sarkozy in both rounds.
“It’s a vote against Ségolène; I find her completely lame. I am a teacher, I earn 2,700 euros per month, I work in a tough suburb and Sarko’s speech is much more convenient for my kind of profile. The way Ségolène recently compromised with Bayrou and the left made me nervous.”
Danis Rodriguez, 65, a retired secretary, voted for Mr. Sarkozy in both rounds.
“I can’t stand street crime anymore; we need to restart France! I’ve always voted for the right, but now more then ever because with Sarkozy in power I will be able to leave all my property to my son and that’s the most important for me.”
In the Paris suburbs:
Christine Poncet, 46, who runs a bakery in Aubervilliers, voted for Mr. Sarkozy in both rounds.
“The changes I’ve seen in Aubervilliers are very, very bad. The situation really has gone down hill. There are more and more foreigners and we just don’t feel at home here any more. I’m not racist, but people living here should respect the country’s laws or they should leave. The biggest problem we have here in France is being swamped by illegal immigrants. Some people are so used to getting without giving and to taking without working. I think Nicolas Sarkozy understands this and knows what he’s talking about. Ségolène, well, she has a good smile.”
Jocelyne Chevauché, 60, a retired employee at an engineering company, voted for François Bayrou in the first round and for Mr. Sarkozy on second round.
“Until the last moment, I was undecided. But I finally voted for Sarkozy when I found myself in the polling booth. I thought things over again and again, and then I thought Sarkozy would win anyway. I also figured out that I could be a fresh member of Bayrou’s new party; it reassured me. In any case, Sarkozy is more charismatic and I wanted anything except Ségolène Royal.”
In the rest of France :
Bernadette Marcel, 60-year-old retiree in the southern city of Montpellier, voted for Mr. Sarkozy “because of his will to really change things.”
“He is dynamic and he is competent. And he tells it as it is. Ségolène Royal is beautiful and very nice but she is not convincing. I would not trust her to run the country.”
Monique Garnier, 69, a pensioner from Bollene, in the Provence region. She was unable to vote in the first round, but in the runoff she voted for Mr. Sarkozy.
“I liked Bayrou’s middle-of-the-road attitude, but I regret it now because he lost the first round but stayed in the race and was not even able to endorse anyone, the way he changed sides with Ségolène. I hate that.
“Today, I voted for change because this country is sick. After I heard Ségolène on TV last Wednesday, I thought she was out of the race, her program was too inconsistent, she didn’t rely on figures. I think people in this country have reached saturation point with her, I’ve been drawn in by Sarko’s determination, he’s much more in touch with people than she is.”
Lionel Dumoulin, 22, a railroad worker from the Alps. He voted for Jean-Marie Le Pen in first round and for Mr. Sarkozy in the second round.
“I voted Sarkozy but without any conviction. I wasn’t sure of myself even 20 minutes before voting, but I couldn’t vote blank, I had to take my responsibilities. The TV debate helped me in my decision. Ségolène had honest opinions but she lost her temper quickly. I am a railway worker and in my profession we are threatened by layoffs. For Sarkozy, it’s an immediate priority.”
SUPPORT FOR SÉGOLÈNE ROYAL
In the 18th Arrondissement of Paris:
Jean-Louis Grimaldi, a 44-year-old health food caterer voted for Ms. Royal but knew that Mr. Sarkozy would win.
“I voted Ségolène because she’s a woman and I think the world should be ruled by women! . . . I refuse to support misogyny! Sarko didn’t even look at her during the TV debate.
“Sarkozy’s victory is sure. Power is strength, but I doubt Mr. Sarkozy’s ability to use it. Ségolène uses her heart much more. But Sarkozy is the smack France needs, we have to accept it, it’s a fair way to something new.”
I am a feminist, I’ve always voted for the left and I know my daughter will do the same. The presidential election is a chance to vote for the party you support, not for a character. I vote for my kids, for my grandchildren and to bring something essential to our country, a woman.”
In the Paris suburbs:
Houari Amraoui, 26, a French-born computer programmer of Moroccan origin, voted for Ms. Royal in both rounds in Aubervilliers.
“I really hesitated before voting for Ségolène, and I nearly voted for Bayrou. But I realized she would have much more of a chance of defeating Sarkozy.
“I think he’s dangerous and too impulsive. For people who’ve got it easy already, he’s not a danger. They’ll get tax breaks. But for 60 to 80 percent of the rest of France, he’s a danger. In theory I should be voting for Sarkozy, as I’ve got a really good job. I’m part of the French economy. But Sarkozy is all about the politics of big money and the greatest danger for France is rising inequalities, the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. Even those who work have such a hard time getting somewhere to rent.
“If he wins, I see even more hatred. After all, he got a lot of votes from the National Front. Sarkozy is saying some people should leave France if they don’t like it. Excuse me, I should be able to ask for a France that is more tolerant and offers opportunities for everyone.”
Ali Ben-Chikh, 29, a French-born part-time business teacher of Moroccan origin, at a high school in the Paris suburb of St. Denis, also voted for Ms. Royal.
“I don’t want to turn my back on those politicians who have helped us the most.”
In the rest of France:
Nabil Mohamedi, 24, an educator in a high school in the town of Auxerre in Burgundy, voted for Ms. Royal in both rounds of the election.
“I had no hesitation for both rounds. I believe more in Ségolène; she’s going to cheer us up and help us find work. Sarko only favors the wealthy.”
Ariane Demeneix, 32, a lawyer in Toulouse. She voted for Mr. Bayrou in the first round and for Ms. Royal in the runoff.
“I voted Bayrou in the first round because I didn’t agree with Ségo and Sarko’s economic programs, but on second round I decided to vote Ségolène because I want a counter-power to be created. I don’t want Sarko to win more power; the higher percentage he gets, the more confident he’ll be.”
Maia de la Baume reported from Paris, and James Kanter from Aubervilliers, France.
Marika Hubert, 60, retired, former councilwoman in the 18th Arrondissement, also voted for Ms. Royal.
[My apologies to our socialist friends on this thread for quoting from that radical right source, the New York Times.] |
