France gets its Obama moment

[jefferson_dem]

France gets its Obama moment
By ELAINE GANLEY and JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writers Elaine Ganley And Jenny Barchfield, Associated Press Writers – 31 mins ago



PARIS – People gawked and cameras clicked as the Obamas cut a wide figure through the French capital even while confined to a presidential motorcade. It was more personal for the few kept not so distant — the restaurant owner who "saw God," the chauffeur reveling in a "magnificent mission."

President Barack Obama, wife Michelle and their two daughters touched lives in simple ways during a private stay in the French capital that closed out a six-day presidential tour rich in history, symbolism and giant messages to the world.

Even a Sunday visit to the gilded Elysee presidential palace was casual and intimate.

The luncheon hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla, for Michelle and the two Obama daughters looked like an advance fete for Sasha's 8th birthday this Wednesday. The Obama trio, lingering a bit in the City of Light after the president's departure, then went shopping at the high-end Left Bank store for children, "Bonpoint."

Media scrutiny of the family was intense. The French are confirmed fans of the Obamas, whose politics and elegant style conform to their ideal vision of the United States. The couple makes frequent appearances on the covers of French magazines. Michelle Obama, whose wardrobe choices are analyzed, gets an A-plus for sartorial glamor, natural poise and sheer intelligence.

But the common touch the first American couple represents, so antithetical to the traditional pomp and circumstance of French heads of state, sets them apart.

When dining out Saturday night at a no-star bistro, La Fontaine de Mars, the presidential party was served water, Coke and table wine to accompany foie gras, lamb and steak with shallots, and paid for meals "like any client," said owner Jacques Boudon. "It's just what they wanted."

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[CakeGrrl]

1. "I saw God before me..." said the restaurant owner. Hee hee.

That ought send a few eyeballs rolling.

:rofl:

What a high it must have been for him to have POTUS and FLOTUS arrive at his 'zero-star' restaurant and kick back.

[jefferson_dem]

2. Saw that.

Yet another "divine reference"...

Ho hum... :)

[ClarkUSA]

3. I like this part, where the chaffeur explains how Obama is different from previous presidents.

'But it was the few brief minutes that Obama spent with 61-year-old Gerard Daldoss and other drivers in the
presidential motorcade that mattered. Before climbing into his limousine in the Pompidou Center's underground
parking garage, Obama shook the men's hands, then posed for a group photo.
"It's fantastic. What a beautiful souvenir!" exclaimed a beaming Daldoss.

He said he has worked in motorcades for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush without ever getting such
hands-on gratitude.

"The others were nice but not more than that," Daldoss said. "I retire in a few months. This is a magnificent
mission."'

[dalaigh lllama]

4. This brings back unfond memories

"...Some French pundits wonder whether Sarkozy's admiration for Obama is reciprocal. Their meetings have so far been official — unlike the picnic-style lunch Sarkozy shared with the Bush family at their Kennebunkport, Maine, compound shortly after taking office..."

Wasn't that the lunch where Bush offered Sarkozy, President of the Land of Haute Cuisine, hotdogs and chips? I remember that as yet another episode of B*sh's international klutziness.

[EquallyExhausted]

5. trust the AP to invent that they ate foie gras

every other story on their time in paris, claims exactly the opposite; but someone has to look out for the wingers and invent something for them to harp on.:P
it seems that parisians enjoyed having the obama family in town, lots of great photos and anecdotes floating around. i was hoping they'd stop by roland garros for some uber elitist tennis, and catch the great end to the french open; though perhaps the girls would have preferred getting some tips from one of their favorite female players. :)