Washington relief at Sarkozy win

[onehandle]

Source: BBC News

Privately, White House officials had been praying for a Sarkozy victory for months. Publicly, they have not been this pleased and relieved by a European election result in years.

President George W Bush has already phoned to say well done and both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have welcomed his victory. But in France, Nicolas Sarkozy has been described as "Sarko the American" by his opponents.

In the US, the insult becomes a badge of honour, which the new French president has earned with his unabashed admiration of American values. He hammered home the point during a four-day book tour last September, which coincided with the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6631083.stm

[fooj]

1. Funny how all of Bushes buddies have been seated into power.

Hmmmmmmmmm...

[arcos]

4. Like Romano Prodi in Italy and José Luis Zapatero in Spain?

You're not serious, are you?

I'm really disappointed that Sarkozy won, but polls have been projecting this margin of victory for months now.

[bluestateguy]

14. Have you noticed what has happened in South America?

That's not really accurate.

[geomon666]

2. Does this mean *Bushler gets to eat french fries again? n/t

[Monkeyman]

3. Dam Freedom Fries tasted like garbage now what

[Igel]

27. A new name's been suggested.

"Friendship fries."

[meldroc]

5. Sigh... If Bush likes it,

chances are we're not going to like it. Haven't kept up with the French elections, but Bush's reactions tell me quite a bit.

[Psephos]

6. That's a pretty good barometer n/t

[Dogmudgeon]

7. "Sarko" isn't THAT conservative

Sure, he's a little too conservative for my liking, but "conservative" in Europe doesn't mean what it does here. Sarkozy is a lot like Angela Merkel (Germany). He probably accepts evolution, he thinks global warming is a troublesome problem and has commented that the USA should ratify the Kyoto treaty, has no issue with allowing women the vote, and definitely opposes the war in Iraq and has said that he may pull France's troops out of Afghanistan.

It's not that I'm such a big Sarkozy fan -- I was hoping Royal would win. But although this is a setback for the forces of progressivism, it is not fatal.

--p!

[mvd]

8. When we elect a Democrat in 2008

I bet the world will follow suit and elect better people.

[humbled_opinion]

9. Wow you sound like a chicken counter.

There will be no Democrat President elected in the U.S. unless we get our stuff together. The electorate knows that Bush is gone in 08. Our only hope is in Obama as a uniter.. but too many Dems are giving Clinton the nod. If she is the nominee which I fear will happen there is no way that she can win in 08. Obama or Edwards are our only hope.

[mvd]

10. Positive thinking

I really do think any of our candidates can beat any of theirs. That Repuke debate left no doubt in my mind.

[mancandy]

16. Yep....

we still need to work as hard as we possibly can to get the Democrat vote motivated and to the polls. After the last two stolen elections, we can take nothing for granted

[mvd]

22. Agreed there

Go in with a good mind frame that you're going to get it done, and then work for it..

[Ghost Dog]

11. "He probably accepts evolution"

Haaaaaahaha!!! :rofl:

Um, sorry, that was intentional irony at the chimp's expense, wasn't it?

[JoFerret]

21. Against the war on Iraq for one saving grace at least.

.

[ohio2007]

12. France's Royal concedes defeat in presidential vote

PARIS (Reuters) - Socialist Segolene Royal conceded defeat in France's presidential election on Sunday and wished victorious conservative Nicolas Sarkozy well.

(Advertisement)
"Universal suffrage has spoken. I wish the next president of the Republic the best in accomplishing his mission in the service of all the French people," she told supporters in Paris after television projections put Sarkozy on about 53 percent of votes in Sunday's election run-off.


http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20070506/tpl-us-france-election-royal-87aac06.html

meanwhile
Anarchy in the streets;

<snip>
The clashes took place on the Place de la Bastille where about 5000 supporters of the defeated Socialist candidate Segolene Royal had gone to await the election results, an AFP journalist said.

Up to 300 rioters, some of whom were masked, made running attacks on riot police who took up positions at the entrance to boulevards leading onto the square.

Earlier a small crowd of protesters, brandishing black and red anarchist flags, set fire to an effigy of Mr Sarkozy in the square before tearing it limb from limb and then stamping on it.
<snip>
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21684341-38200,00.html?from=public_rss

[rodeodance]

13. he was invited to the White House to meet President Bush - a very rare honour

....In Washington, he was invited to the White House to meet President Bush - a very rare honour for a mere minister and an honour which has evaded President Jacques Chirac ever since he led the international opposition to the Iraq war.

The Sarkozy-Bush mood music could not be more positive, but there are a few discordant notes.

Nicolas Sarkozy opposed the Iraq war as much as President Chirac's handling of the diplomacy. He wants America to announce a phased withdrawal. He also opposes Turkish membership of the EU, which Washington favours.

Nevertheless, with Nicolas Sarkozy now in Paris, Angela Merkel in Berlin and soon, one assumes, Gordon Brown in London, the US feels that it has regained an axis of friendship in northern Europe.

[Doctor_J]

15. You mean they didn't know it was going to happen?

They have e-voting in France, right?

[IndianaGreen]

17. Why are Democrats congratulating that Polish-French Bush clone?

Wait to see what happens to the asshole when he tries to impose neoliberal policies in France.

[Orrin_73]

18. hungarian-greek-jewish-french bush clone

[cigsandcoffee]

23. Why is his ethnicity important?

That seems like an odd thing to focus on.

[Orrin_73]

24. I corrected IndianaGreen

Sarkozy is not polish.

[entanglement]

19. Sarkozy is a right wing thug...best of luck to the French, they're going to need it

n/t

[diva77]

20. Maybe Sarkozy didn't really win...check out this article

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/2348249&from=rss

and this:

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Electronic_voting_disputed_in_France


:shrug:

[Odin2005]

25. This really isnt anything to worry about.

Most of France's presidents have been "conservatives" (the only major left-wing president was Francois Mitterand) yet it's still a lot farther to the left then we are. French "conservatives" are center-left by American standards.

[Toots]

26. "unabashed admiration of American values"

And what pray tell are those?