The Good American and Monsieur Obama

[babylonsister]

The Good American and Monsieur Obama

By ROGER COHEN
Published: June 9, 2008


The French have always cherished a class of people called “les bons Américains.” These good Americans were those truest to a Gallic idea of what the United States should be, and in recent years those at the furthest remove from the aberrant folk who elected George W. Bush.

In recent decades, good Americans have included John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie (whose elegance betrayed a European sensibility), Woody Allen (of European urbanity and wit), Michael Moore (of European vehemence on the Iraq war) and Al Gore (of European environmentalism).

But right now, in French eyes, there’s a single good American: the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, Barack Obama. His book, “The Audacity of Hope,” is a best seller. His face is everywhere, sometimes in socialist realist images evoking Che Guevara.

An online support committee has drawn all-star support, including the fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, the Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë, the writer-philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and Pierre Bergé, the partner of the late Yves Saint Laurent.

Out in the troubled suburbs, with their large African and Arab populations and broad mistrust of a political system that has produced one black parliamentarian among the 555 representing mainland France, Obama is an urban legend. In France at least, he has high-low appeal.

France is not alone in its Obama fever — German infatuation is scarcely less intense — but I think the French case says something particular about the state of American politics and global expectations.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/opinion/09cohen.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[Bicoastal]

1. Quel Interessant!

Kay und Errrrr.

[gateley]

2. Je suis d’accord! Recommander!!

[babylonsister]

3. Merci beaucoup!

:silly:

[Barack_America]

4. *Breaking*: The political careers of Bicoastal, Gateley and Babylonsister are dead.

You just HAD to get all fancy with the French.

;)

[Bicoastal]

7. This is the most French response I can think of:

Le shrug. :shrug:

[Barack_America]

9. Oh, okay.

I opened your post, fearing the dreaded "va te faire foutre".

;)

[babylonsister]

11. Tu n'est pas amuse'?

:rofl: Trust me, this is botched!

[Barack_America]

14. In reference to the article...

And the discussion of how Kerry's speaking French was used against him.

Also, I believe your conjugation is correct. ;)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. Ooh la la!

[TahitiNut]

5. Viva la France! Je suis un Parisian de la cour.

Et je parle pas Francais.

(Can't you tell?) :rofl:

[babylonsister]

6. Si', senor. C''est tres obvious!

:party:

[TahitiNut]

10. But ....

... I get points for not using help, don't I? I COULD have used the translation stuff ... but I just let my Fraktured Franch hang out there for all to see.

[babylonsister]

16. And you did a job marvelieux! nt

[AtomicKitten]

8. It is most definitely Obama time.

We're going to change the world.

[TahitiNut]

12. He should wear a helmet with a webcam on top ... and we could subscribe.

It'd make one HELLUVA fundraiser!

:silly: :dunce:

[AtomicKitten]

13. That's Reggie Love's webcam, baby.

This one:



Not this one: