High School Confidential

There are days when the petty rivalries among would-be chieftains reminds me of high school hijinks:

Tout au long du discours de François Fillon, mercredi à l'Assemblée nationale, le député-maire de Meaux [Jean-François Copé, newly minted head of the UMP] avait en effet ostensiblement bavardé avec ses voisins, lu ou paraphé des documents qu'il avait apportés dans l'hémicycle, semblant porter une attention toute relative au discours du chef du gouvernement.

And what do you really think of our president?

Some unflattering remarks by Nicolas Sarkozy concerning Barack Obama appeared in the press a while back. Now it's tit for tat, thanks to WikiLeaks (although the tittle-tattle does not come from the mouth of the US president). According to a US diplomat, Sarko "has a thin-skinned and authoritarian personal style" and is "an emperor with no clothes." Hmm. I guess someone will no longer be invited to consume petits fours and champagne at Quai d'Orsay cocktail parties.

For the record, Sarkozy, however imperial he may be, is always impeccably dressed.

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You ..

... a Sarkozy biopic. Can't get enough of him? This one's for you.

On Aubry's Deteriorating Position

Thanks to an anonymous commenter, see analyses here and here.

More on the Brain Drain

Here.