Cécilia unsettles France

If you liked Jackie Kennedy, you're going to adore Cécilia. Those words did not come from a star-struck celebrity mag, but from Cécilia Sarkozy's adoring husband. He made the prediction on the night of his election as French president on May 6.  Today we are 100 days into of the reign of Super-Sarko and France is talking a lot about its new first lady, but not necessarily in her favour.

Since Cécilia Sarkozy snubbed George and Laura Bush and embarassed her husband at the weekend, she is being compared more with Queen Marie-Antoinette than the late Mrs JFK.  Why, people wonder, does Cécilia keep standing people up ? [In French, the expression is poser un lapin -- handing someone a rabbit. See funny video illustration]    

Few believed the official excuse for Mrs Sarkozy's last minute decision to miss a barbecue with the US presidential family at Kennebunkport, Maine. An apologetic Sarko turned up an hour late from the couple's New Hampshire retreat, explaining that his wife had a bad throat infection. Yet on Sunday, Mrs Sarko, 49, was seen strolling in shorts with friends around the town of Wolfesboro. Commentators talked of a diplomatic incident.

"Cécilia Sarkozy had a lightning infection," Le Figaro, the most pro-Sarkozy newspaper, noted drily. "The day before she was in good form, and the day after she was cured." Agence France-Presse, the national news agency, said that Mrs Sarkozy had "sharpened her image of a first lady who is secret, unpredictable, even disconcerting - the opposite of her predecessors at the Elysée Palace."

The missed lunch fitted a pattern that has become known as "the Cécilia problem" or le mystère Cécilia. This arises from the contrast between Mrs Sarkozy's apparent desire to enjoy her Elysée Palace role while also appearing to disdain it. "What does the president's wife want?" asked Le Telegramme newspaper. "Does she want to live her life without constraints? In that case why accept invitations such as the one from Laura Bush?"

The tall and stylish former Cécilia Ciganer, a university drop-out and onetime model, was absent from view for much of her husband's campaign and even failed to vote for him on May 6. They had suffered marital trouble and she had recently said that the idea of being first lady "bores me stiff".

The word from acres of largely fact-free analysis was that Cécilia and Sarko had not really reconciled. She feared for her independence and agonized about whether to join her husband as consort in the monarchical presidency, according to the accepted plot. Yet Mrs Sarkozy, who rarely smiles or speaks in public, blossomed after his election as an ultimate première dame. The world was dazzled by those pictures of her clad in Prada at the inauguration with the couple's five children -- from their own and previous marriages.

    

Then, at a G8 summit in Germany in June,  she caused an incident by cutting short her attendance with Mrs Bush and other leaders' spouses.

Her ratings soared in late July when her husband sent her to Libya on a successful mission to accompany home Bulgarian nurses who were released after eight years imprisonment. Her mercy mission, chaperoned by Sarko's chief-of-staff,  made her  Wonderwoman -- and a target for critics. Devoting its cover to her today, Libération joked that the new French "James Bond girl" should now apply her talents to eradicating war and famine. The Socialists said today that they want her summoned before a parliamentary inquiry into promises that France made Libya, including nuclear and arms contracts.   

Mrs Sarkozy's love of opulence, her rich friends and her choice of La Lanterne, a state mansion at Versailles, as her weekend home, have drawn inevitable comparisons with Marie-Antoinette. Her caprices (as Libération called them today) are feeding the parallel with the unhappy queen.   

"We are deep in the Marie-Antoinette syndrome," said Nicolas Domenach, deputy editor of Marianne magazine and a biographer of Mr Sarkozy. "In France we all desire a queen at the same time as we want to settle accounts with the monarchy," he told Elle.

The image of the queen who played at  Versailles was also invoked by Mathilde Agostinelli, Cecilia's close friend who is media director for Prada in France. Mrs Sarkozy's weekends "make me think of a modern Marie-Antoinette, happy in her Petit Trianon," Agostinelli told le Nouvel Observateur.

Sarko's emotional dependence on his turbulent wife is the talk of Paris. In 2005-6, the then Interior Minister went to extraordinary lengths to win back his wife when she deserted him for Richard Attias, an events organiser. Details are only now emerging. In early 2006, for example, when she moved to New York with Louis, their 10-year-old son, Sarko followed her across the Atlantic. He went straight to a classroom at the Lycée Français de New York and took Louis back to France, according to Le Nouvel Obs. 

The action-man president makes no secret of his need for her approval. Late on the night of his election, when she finally turned up to celebrate, he danced the sirtaki before her (and photographers) in an an attempt to pull her out of her dark mood. At his first Bastille Day garden party, Sarkozy, in euphoric mood, confided to reporters: "Au fond, Cécilia, c'est mon seul souci" (Cécilia is really my only worry).

France, or at least its political and media world, is exercised by the fact that the première dame has no defined role. Previous wives stayed in the background or took care of charity, like Bernadette Chirac. Sarkozy has promised to rectify this next month by giving Cécilia a clear job.

 

Comments

[rocket]

That's why on my second marriage, I married an American so I could have some predictability in my life.

[Suffolk County]

Read the Huffingtonpost.com on cecilia's snub, and the comments afterwards.

[rocket]

Suffolk

Link please. I can't find it

[pouet]

Rocket,

I'm not to work (and leave for holidays) if you post funny comments.

Did you read that?

http://www.liberation.com/actualite/evenement/evenement1/272193.FR.php

For those who don't read french, it starts saying (twisted translation) "what are the next things Cecilia must deal with. First, convincing Ussama Ben Laden to stop his coward and stupid actions..."
The end:
"If she is to attempt the Presidency (she thinks of it every night before catching a cold), she can quote the actual president, publicly complimenting her. While, Sarkozy can always try to find when he was last complimented by her."

Ok, that is twisted translation. I'll try to do better next time.

[azloon]

Celia, youre breaking my heart
Youre shaking my confidence daily
Oh, cecilia, I'm down on my knees
"I'm begging you please to come home
Come on home

Making love in the afternoon with cecilia
Up in my bedroom (making love)
I got up to wash my face
When I come back to bed
Someones taken my place"

sarko's cecilia is the perfectly named real-life incarnation of paul simon's lyrics (above).

she's also, by all accounts, a spoiled woman.

the comedy of sarko's JFK 'wannabe' act alongside cecilia's outrageous game-playing is going to make for much more wonderful copy. it's manna from heaven for CB and his gang. but more importantly, the only thing we really care about: this blog. :)

i never thought i'd think that 'standing by your man" (the american way of presidential politics/behavior) would ever look so preferable to another model.

[Zbigniew]

For whatever reason, Mrs Sarkozy did not come to Maine.

Personally, I wouldn't want to meet the current POTUS nor his family either.

[Terry]

I remember hearing no one could speak english to the reporters on the boat in New Hampshire. Does Cecelia speak english well? It must be very tedious to meet other first ladies with translators. Perhaps, this could be a reason?

There is no more effective way to make a leader look impotent than his wife blowing off a picnic.

[razatork]

Get rid of her already, i can't stand her, neither can anybody i know.

[rocket]

As the late Lloyd Bentsen said to Dan Quayle.

"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"

So I say to Cecila Sarkozy

"Madame, You are no Jackie Kennedy."

Jackie Kennedy had grace and style and stood by her man through thick and thin.

Madame. You are ready to bail out at the first sign of problems.

It all sounds too familiar

[rocket]

Azloon,

The problem with most French men is that they are too afraid to put their foot down.

Must have something to do with relationship with the mother.

[Zbigniew]

Why are so many people hostile to Mrs Sarkozy?

Yeah, she has refused to visit the POTUS.

She did not vote for her husband during the second round of the Presidential election.

The press reports that she has rarely accompanied her husband during the presidential campaign which preceded the election (as opposed to Mr Sarkozy's 4 eldest children).

But this is irrelevant if I do not ask two important questions: 1) Did Mme Sarkozy ever say she wanted to be the First Lady? 2) Did she ever promise to be a submissive wife?

Answers:
1) No.
2) No.

So since she has explicitly said she doesn't wish to be the First Lady (though she may have changed her mind*) why are some people trying to enforce that role (or any other role) on her?

Why is she treated as she had failed her duty, whereas there is legally no such job as 'French First Lady' and she has never accepted any political duties?

A curious event happened 5/16 - Cecilia Sarkozy needed a role, or so thought some journalists. No one wanted to consider the possibility that Madame Sarkozy (never a member of any political party) may be just the wife of Monsieur Sarkozy, and that's it. That thesis was based on the unproven belief that because Mr Sarkozy has won the election, Mrs Sarkozy would for an unknown reason assume an important role herself. On June 7th Mrs Sarkozy, having come to Deutschland with Mr Sarkozy, has left Germany for Paris, to prepare the birthday party of one of her daughters. It should have been obvious for everyone since then that for Mr and Mrs Sarkozy their children are the most important people in the world and vice-versa, but it still isn't, I see.

[Terry]

Azloon:

I posted that song months ago. You're late.

Terry

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

Before accusing Mrs Sarkozy of abrogation of her duties, shouldn't her critics answer these questions?
1) Did she accept any legal duties whatsoever?
2) Was she elected by the French voters, or their elected representatives, to perform any duties?
3) Did she publicly accept the role of the French First Lady (never mind that this office doesn't even exist)?
4) Did her husband say he wants her to perform any political function?

She can be criticised for snubbing the POTUS and other G8 leaders only if her critics reply affirmatively to these 4 questions. By the by, didn't her husband say that her priority is taking care of (on a daily basis) of her 3 children?

-------------------

Some people want her to accept a role (First Lady or some other role) - they say she should have stayed in Germany with the President until afternoon of June 8th, they say she should have visited the POTUS, etc. They want her to be a poodle of the President, following him everywhere. I want to ask: Why is this a good idea? Wouldn't it be better to just allow her to spend as much time as possible with her 3 kids? Why should she be forbidden to do that just because her husband is a politician? Her chosen role is the daily caretaking of her 3 children. Why shouldn't she be allowed to make such politics versus children choices?

Let's ignore all other people in the world, it doesn't matter what jobs are they doing. What duties does the French law envisage for the 1st Lady? And wouldn't it be a better idea to allow Mrs Sarkozy to have the everyday caretaking of her 3 kids as her sole work if she wishes so?

[Tobysgirl]

Anyone who has the sense not to show up at a picnic with the mentally challenged POTUS (uh, duh ...) and his Stepford Wife (grin, grin) can't be all bad, though she may be trying her best.

[Aloy]

Cecilia Sarkosy claims to be part gypsy and behaves more like Carmen than Jackie O. As for her besotted husband, she make him look more and more like the hapless Don Jose.

[rocket]

Zbig

"But this is irrelevant if I do not ask two important questions: 1) Did Mme Sarkozy ever say she wanted to be the First Lady? 2) Did she ever promise to be a submissive wife?"

Then she should have stayed the hell out of Libya.

When it suits her she can be First Lady, Peace Maker, Hostage Liberator etc. When it doesn't suit her, she makes her husband look foolish by walking out.

She's French. Need I say more?

An Englishwoman

[philip Tonkovich]

I absolutely adore this woman. No matter what she does, or when she does it, or to whom, or for whatever reason, or by any consequence, I shall continue to support and adore her. This, my friends, is a WOMAN as she was meant to be, and that is that. Period.

[azloon]

Terry

i now recall you did post the paul simon lyrics. oh, to have an intact memory.....

i believe i read it was Cecilia who translated her husband's rabid rant for the photographers ("he's shouting that he doesn't want you to photograph us -- that's why you no longer are holding your cameras.")

poor sarko. he wants so much to have his camelot while ceci seems determined to sabotage it.

NS's pitiful pursuit of this loser is not befitting his potent, energetic image. he really needs to 'get some sack' and put this woman out to pasture (the 'sack' es por los cojones).

[Judith]

There is no glossing over the fact that refusing to attend a function after having agreed to go, crying off on the basis of a minor illness and then allowing oneself to be seen in apparently good health the next day, would be considered extremely rude and in very bad taste in most circles. And higher standards should be expected when someone's behaviour has international political and strategic implications.

[Maggie G]

I did feel a certain amount of sympathy for her because it was clear for a long time that she had very mixed feelings about becoming a president's wife. But it's pretty hard to feel any sympathy for her after seeing her publicly humiliate her husband like this.

The very least she could have done was stay out of sight for a couple of days. It just seems that she was purposely making a statement by letting everyone see how perfectly healthy she really was.

If she wants to be a diplomat, she should learn to be a little more diplomatic.

The whole thing reminds me a little of Margaret Trudeau, except that Margaret Trudeau was wonderfully charming for six years before being driven off the rails by her dislike of all the protocol. And Margaret was only twenty-eight years old when she derailed.

And Cecilia should take note -- when Margaret Trudeau decided to leave the Prime Minister, she did not take her children with her, even though the oldest (of three) was only five years old. Her husband became one of the most famous single parents of all time, and is admired above all for the way he raised his boys. (He was a single-father Prime Minister for seven years.)

The wife of the heir to the Japanese throne also has problems with her role, and we feel sympathy for her.

But Cecelia's behaviour concerning this barbecue seems just plain selfish and self-centred. And furthermore, she says being a first lady is boring, but in my opinion roaring around a lake in a motor-boat is pretty boring too.

[Maggie Millington]

My advice to Sarko , is give Cecilia a little jealousy , it will soon focus her mind on what it is she wants.
There must be loads of females vying for his attention now he is in such a powerful position.
I absolutely agree with Rocket, Cecilia is no Jackie Kennedy, who was an amazingly stylish & faithful woman.

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

Ah, my good old friend Rocket replied!

Sorry, but Libya was different. She did not go there as the First Lady because, as I said, there is legally no such job. She went there as a concerned French citizen, but there were millions of such citizens in France until the Palestinian doctor was released so if they can campaign why can't Cecilia? Why couldn't she use her hubby's plane to ship the doc out of Libya? NGOs would have done the same if they had any planes.

'And Cecilia should take note -- when Margaret Trudeau decided to leave the Prime Minister, she did not take her children with her, even though the oldest (of three) was only five years old.'

Why is it relevant?

'The wife of the heir to the Japanese throne also has problems with her role, and we feel sympathy for her.'

Hehehe. What does that role involve? She's not even the wife of the Emperor.

'higher standards should be expected when someone's behaviour means political and strategic implications.'

What implications? Do you think Dubya feels offended? Is he going to nuke France?

People, please understand: '1st Lady' does not, I repeat, does not mean 'Principal Political Affairs Assistant to the President of the Republic'! It means 'Mme Cecilia Sarkozy'.

She is not selfish and egoistic, she just seems to spend 99% of her time with her 3 kids and Rachida Dati, whom she calls her sister. Sounds strange? Not to me.

And now I would like to ask, since some people claim there will be political and strat. implications: how could Mrs Sarkozy affect the world politically? De iure, her husband directs the government, he de facto controls it. He is also allowed to pardon criminals. Most importantly, he is the Supreme Commander of the military. Mrs Sarkozy knows nothing about the military; even I, who just reads websites, watches videos and reads magazines know better. She can't help Mr Sarkozy defend France.

But she knows better than anyone else how to take care of her 3 children, and that is what she's certainly doing most of the time. And she wants to do it, so let's allow her to do it.

'I absolutely agree with Rocket, Cecilia is no Jackie Kennedy'

You're right, she's better than Jackie Kennedy!

[John Hornsby]

The "silly season" indeed! A lot of fuss about nothing

[Ros]

I agree entirely and absolutely with JUDITH - the rest is just gossip and irrevelant.

[Maggie G]

Maggie Millington, I love your comment about helping her to focus her mind on what she really wants. Yes, that would be wonderful if Sarko could let her hit the ground with a gentle or not-so-gentle thud. Surely that would focus her mind, because there are clearly some aspects of her new role that she has taken a liking to, and would maybe regret givng up too quickly.

And Azloon, I've been walking around singing "Stand By Your Man" ever since I read your post.

I know 'Cecelia' as a song exists in French, sung by Joe Dassin, but I'm not sure if the story-line is the same. Maybe the moment has come for a great revival of this song.

This is a little off the topic, but it's still summer. I swam 22 lengths in the sea this morning. We live right by the hippodrome in Cagnes-sur-mer and just have to cross the road to get to the sea, so in the summer I'm over there swimming early every morning.

But with waves or medusa or one thing or another, I had never got up to twenty lengths this summer. Then yesterday there wasn't a ripple on the sea, and I decided, today's the day I'm going to do it. And then I swam right over a dog!

Since I do the crawl and can't see where I'm going, I always look carefully to make sure the way is clear. I was very happy because it was my last length. Then this lady and her dog arrived from somewhere and swam across my route, and I swam right over the dog. It gave me such a shock I got a huge cramp in my leg and couldn't start up again. So I only did nineteen and a half lengths yesterday.

The woman was swimming a little ahead and didn't even notice that I had swum over her dog. The poor dog must have got quite a shock too!

Today the sea was just as flat again, and so clear that even where I couldn't quite touch bottom with my flippers, I could still see all the pebbles at the bottom.

[christopher muir]

Frankly, if I won a lottery which allowed me to have lunch with POTUS and his wife, I too would develop a convenient sore throat and give the hamburgers a miss. However, the caprices of Cecilia may ultimately prove to be serious for France. It's all very well for her to be headstrong and seemingly independent of what she sees as boring obligations, but in the end the Republic's reputation will suffer if it is believed that the president's wife does not hold him in high esteem. After all, if she shows him no respect, many will start to wonder why.

[David / London]

To me, the Cécilia thing just confirms my thoughts and concerns about Sarco himself.
He has always struck me as a bit of a Bully, exhibiting typical Bully traits - insecurity coupled with aggression.
He seems to have a pathological need for approval from those whom he considers 'superior' - to the extent of being willing to appear pathetically needy and grateful for the slightest crumb of approval, coupled with the total impossibility of acknowledging that they have any faults whatsoever.
Who can fail to remember without squirming embarrassment the awful scene of a Sarco turning-up at a G8 press conference late and seeming to be almost literally drunk, simply because he had just come from an extended chat with Putin? The French press, at a loss to explain his bizarre 'intoxicated' behaviour, even dared to venture he had imbibed one Vodka too many at the meeting, whereas in reality he was only suffering from uncritical euphoria of having been allowed an extended chat with a REAL World Leader!
Now his uncritical fawning over such a seriously flawed, dangerously incompetent GWB can also only be explained by Sarco being dazzled by being in the presence of another REAL World Leader, whom he considers 'superior' to himself.
This sort of personality also explains why he is also psychologically dependant on Cécilia.
She treats him like dirt but, because he so unreservedly admires her, he simply has not got it in his critically flawed personality to see this and make a stand against it.
A typical Bully - unreservedly fawning over those he considers 'better' than him (Putin, Bush, Cécilia), harshly treating those he considers 'below' him - the French workers and outer-city-dwellers.
Perhaps we should pay more attention to how someone who knows him better than anyone else (Cécilia) behaves towards him - she has more insight to his personality than anyone else, and has the balls to reject what she considers pathetic brown-nosing when she see it!
I worry about Sarkosy.

[Nick]

Judging by the vitriolic comments on Mme. Sarkozy, I would have to conclude that the posters were a) male, b) insecure, c) judgmental, and d) have never actually had a relationship with a woman. Mme. Sarkozy has a right to live her life as she chooses, and she is doing so. The posters on her are ignorant of the vast majority of the relevant facts, have no basis for any valid judgment, and are simply vomiting out the most shamefully misogynist bigotry. As for your opinions on M. Sarkozy, I find it ludicrous that people who clearly don't know the first thing about the man should decide to analyze his pysche or his life. All you reveal is your own idiocies, arrogance, and unsuitability for any position of responsibility. Grow up for God's sake!

[Peppy La Mitsouko]

French men are very lucky to have a country full of beautiful women who put up a fight.

Sarkozy is a man who likes a challenge. I bet that he'll tame her in the end, but it will take time.

Good luck to them both.

[Frank Schnittger]

Great post, Maggie G!

There seems to be huge confusion over what Cecilia (and the French People) want from the person filling the role of the wife of the French President.

As has been pointed out by many contributors, there is no such constitutional role as that of "The First Lady". In many ways it is largely a media invention to provide a rationale for invading the privacy of a President's family.

In many ways the person holding the role is placed in an impossible position. They are expected to dress like a model even if they have no interest in clothes. They are expected to support their spouse in all things even if they have no interest in politics.

If they take a very active role (a la Hilary Clinton) they are abused for usurping their spouses election mandate. If they don't they are abused for being a waste of space.

In many ways its is a very sexist institution. American first ladies are expected to appear on cookery programs and share their favourite recipes. Woe betide the first lady who is seen as not being properly "mumsy" and dedicated to every aspect of the perfect role model for family life.

Even the "first children's" lives are closely scrutinised by the media. It all makes for good copy and sells those glossy magazines, but what does it really tell us?

Perhaps it is that we don't just elect leaders, but role models for our own lives. The first family must conform to some idealised norm and woe betide any family member who fails to do so.

Some take the view that if a President cannot manage his own family he is hardly likely to be good at leading a country. Others feel that a President’s private life is precisely that, his private life and nobody else’s business. Many who profess this view still buy the glossy magazines!

I personally take the view that if we don’t take the trouble to define a clear role for the first lady then we can hardly complain if she doesn’t fulfil some peoples conceptions of what that role should be. When you elect a President you don’t get his family thrown in for free.

And neither should the media get a free ticket to increased circulation by taking a free ride at the expense of the private lives of people who have stood for no office, undertaken no public commitments, and are in receipt of no public salary.

You get what you pay for and we have no right to the private lives of others whose spouses happen to have been elected to public office. Cecelia is therefore entitled to do as she pleases. She owes us nothing. What she owes to her husband is a matter for them and for them alone.

[Romanesq]

People are getting worked up. They should hold off on their fire.

This woman is only beginning to show the world what a selfish, indulgent person can do to make a real fuss worth discussing.

It's only the beginning.

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

'However, the caprices of Cecilia may ultimately prove to be serious for France.'

I don't think so. She's not doing any political job so she isn't of any political importance to anyone. Sarkozy will only be disrespected if the French military (of which he is the Supreme Commander) will be weak. Currently it isn't, though it needs to be strengthened.

'he is also psychologically dependant on Cécilia.
She treats him like'

Uh... you sure? He was previously mayor of NSS, an MP, a councillor, a member of a departmental council and now is the President - did she ever vote against him? Did she ever refuse to vote for him, except 5/6/2007?

She takes care, every minute of everyday, of his and her children. Isn't that a sign of marital love? If she hated him wouldn't she just force him to do the job she's doing now?

CLARIFICATION: I dunno if she loves him or not (and don't want to know) but it seems to me that she does. And I hope that one day the media will stop speculating about the Cecilia+Nicolas couple and start talking about really important issues, ones which concern me and not only me.

[azloon]

David/london has pretty well nailed it, imo.

all the 'POTUS' remarks here ("who wants to spend time with dubya and his wife anyway?") are beside the point. world politics is a sport for adults. sarko and ceci should try acting 'as if' for awhile.

otherwise, i'm afraid, france is at risk of disqualification.

[Terry]

Maggie said:

"I swam 22 lengths in the sea this morning." To corsica and back? That's a lot of miles. Swimming, running club? Are we not a bi-athelete?

BTW: Just wait till Cecelia tries to clear U.S. customs at the airport. That's how Laura will get her back.

"Please open your suitcase, Madame. Please empty that film container." (Azloon will get it)

[azloon]

Frank S --

methinks you're too indulgent re ceci.

why cut her slack? she's where she is by choice. i say to her, shit or get off the pot.

[Marguerite]

Elle est drole la video de'poser un lapin ". Il est vraiment bien le grand lapin qui arrive a la place du mufle espere.
Le mot "lapin" designait un voyageur autorise a monter dans un transport public alors qu'il n'y avait plus de place. Le conducteur touchait l'argent du billet car le voyageur n'etait pas compte dans le nombre des passagers. L'expression au XIXe s etait "faire cadeau d'un lapin a une fille " et signifiait 'ne pas lui payer ses faveurs'...et empocher l'argent qu'on lui devait.

Le mot "lapin" se serait substitue a l'ancien francais "conin"du latin "cuniculus" et preterait a des jeux de mots obscenes.

[David / London]

To: Zbigniew Mazurak, re: why I said she treats him like dirt.
Yes Sarko held all the posts you mention, but so-what? Just means he's a political 'operator' - there are many other people who rose to political heights who have subsequently been judged as seriously flawed, even criminally so.
As regards whether she loves him or not, it is crucial to be aware of the time in 2005 (only 2 years ago) when she left him and swanned off to New York with Richard Attias, an international communications consultant, for eight months until Sarko came crawling on his belly to beg her back.
Puts her more recent no-shows into a more informed light I think.
It is also quite interesting to remember how they met & got married.
She was getting married to another man in 1984 and the Mayor who was presiding over the civil part of the Marriage was ... Sarko himself! He too was married, but that didn't prevent him from deciding he wanted this woman whom he was officially marrying to another! His tacky tactic was to 'befriend' Cécilia's then-husband, and to use the ensuing 'friendship' between the two families to prise Cécilia away from him! His own wife fought hard for four years before she was discarded too! During this time Cécilia was referred-to as "the Mayor's trollop"! (a generous translation!)
They were eventually married in 1989.
Not quite sure what this says about Cécilia, but I personally think it speaks volumes about Sarko's own morality.
To answer all who say we should ignore how Politicians behave in 'private', I would have to disagree strongly. It is often how a person behaves in private which shows the REAL values and personality of the individual to whom you are (possibly) entrusting political and legislative power, NOT the 'public', spin-doctor 'enhanced' version, i.e. the side they WANT you to see. See how a man runs his personal life, and you get a very good impression of how he will behave in Public Office.
I worry about Sarkosy.

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

'Mme Sarkozy has a right to live her life as she chooses, and she is doing so.'

Yes. That's what I've always been saying about her.

Dave - you don't need to remind me about Nicolas Sarkozy's history. By the by, he married Cecilia Sarkozy 1996, not 1989.

Azloon - do I really need to remind you what a horrible family the family of the current POTUS is?

[Frank Schnittger]

"why cut her slack? she's where she is by choice. i say to her, shit or get off the pot". - Azloon

I'm not cutting her any more slack than I would give to anyone else in the same position. When you marry someone you are not signing up to become "The First Lady" - unless they have some pre-nuptial agreement I don't know about. And exactly how should she get off the pot - divorce him? We have no right to demand an end to their marriage simply because we don't like her!

I do, however, agree with David / London when he says he worries about Sarkozy's psychology. It is legitimate to worry about the choices/behaviours displayed by a President. Voters are often swayed more by their personal perceptions of a candidate than by are by his/her policies or career achievements. Politics is about people as well as policies and long may it be so!

[Maggie G]

Terry,

No, I didn't swim to Corsica and back -- from the shower to the second garbage can. I count forty strokes as a length.

The woman and the dog were heading straight for Corsica. I felt something furry go under me and could tell immediately that it wasn't a medusa (jelly fish). I think it was the dog's back end. I don't think I pushed his head under because surely he would have got a little more excited if that had happened.

I'm not a big athlete. In the other group I'm not one of the runners. There's the walkers' route and the runners' route, mostly the same but with extra loops and false trails and stuff added on for the runners. Someone has to be the hare every run and prepare a trail somewhere out in the bush and mark it with flour, and they make you go through prickles and across rivers and up steep hills and through culverts under the road, and all kinds of stuff, and it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of work preparing a trail, but it's like getting to be a kid again, exploring all over the bush. Much more fun than roaring around in motor-boats, or lying about on the decks of expensive yachts, in my opinion.

Sorry, this is pretty much off the topic.

The pros and cons about Cecelia's role are interesting. I said her behaviour seemed selfish and self-centred, but perhaps Judith said it best -- it was just plain rude.

I think David of London is much too harsh on Sarkozy. Remember, all that stuff about him being such a bully was part of the socialists' election stategy. And according to all reports I've ever heard about their separation (even reports from before she came back to him) they were on the phone or texting each other several times a day, every single day.

And as for "unreservedly fawning over everyone he considers 'better' than him" , sorry, but I can't see ANY French president EVER considering an American president his superior. All French people consider their society far superior to the American. I don't think Sarko's visit to Bush could be called 'pathetic brown-nosing'.

Zbigniew keeps saying that she spends every minute of every day looking after her family, but according to the article I saw, the first months after she left home she came back from New York every two weeks to see her son, before finally taking him to live in New York with her.

Well anyway, as most of the commentators have said, it's all none of our business.

[rocket]

Zbig

"I don't think so. She's not doing any political job so she isn't of any political importance to anyone"

L...I....B...Y...A

"he is also psychologically dependant on Cécilia.
She treats him like'

Uh... you sure? He was previously mayor of NSS, an MP, a councillor, a member of a departmental council and now is the President - did she ever vote against him? Did she ever refuse to vote for him, except 5/6/2007?"

Read a book please

Even Churchill was diagnosed as depressive and that didn't stop him from leading Britain in their "finest moment"

"Did she ever refuse to vote for him, except 5/6/2007?"

Zbig, the most important moment in the man's life and where is she?

[rocket]

Nick

"Judging by the vitriolic comments on Mme. Sarkozy, I would have to conclude that the posters were a) male, b) insecure, c) judgmental, and d) have never actually had a relationship with a woman."

Don't take your own shortcomings to be those of the posters on this blog who express an opposite opinion of yours.

I really hate to say this but your comment is so infantile that I will respond by an infantile remark.

Personally I could take you to the hoop and really make you look like a drooling schoolboy if you wanted to play the relationship numbers game. It's just that I've grown up since and believe that a couple is a couple. There to support each other.

[rocket]

David

"She was getting married to another man in 1984"

It was Jacques Martin one of the most known television personalities in France at the time (Dimanche Martin, L'école des fans)

I remember because there were only 3 television stations in France at the moment so Sunday afternoon was very boring. He has since suffered a stroke and I think is bananas because we never hear from him. yet his son David does "La tirage du loto".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9cilia_Sarkozy

First appearance of Celine Dion on Druker, canine teeth and all.she also appeared alot on Jacques Martin shows

http://chansons.ina.fr/index.php?vue=selarch_select&id=460&srcp=annees

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

Rocket:

1) 41 and 43 are dangerous people who should not be trusted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_bones

2) No, 5/6 was not the most important day of Sarko's life. The most important day was when Vladimir Putin threatened to aim Russian nukes at Europe. Now we'll see if Sarko will behave responsibly. We'll see if he'll continue to spend just 2% of GDP on the French military or he will spend more than just 2% of GDP. That's because the French President is the Supreme Commander of the French Armed Forces. On 5/6 he was just elected President - and that's it.

3) L...I....B...Y...A - already dealt with. Do you realise that she wasn't the only person trying to bail out the Palestinian doc? She just used the thing she had, i.e. an aeroplane of ETEC. Strange? Equally importantly, the Bulgarians wanted that doc to be bailed out, whereas 43 doesn't really need to meet with Cecilia - she's not a politician and no Americans are currently imprisoned by the Libyans.

[Terry]

Maggie said:

"I don't think I pushed his head under because surely he would have got a little more excited if that had happened."

I don't know. There's a bad little boy in me that made me snicker when I read that sentence. I'm sorry. I just cant help myself sometimes.

I was deposing someone 2 weeks ago. She told me she had an MRI of her brain. I asked her "Did they find anything?" She said "No." And I snickered. I don't think she got the joke. Some day, I'll grow up.

BTW: I am one of those guys who likes to roar around in a motorboat. But we water ski. And anchor, and go swimming. Sometimes I lie out and do nothing.

[Nick]

Rocket, qui s'excuse, s'accuse. You have no facts to work with, unless you have somehow become privileged enough to access the mminds of the couple in question. Are you claiming this status? I thought not. As for your threats, they are amusing, but ultimately confirm only that you are incapable of backing up your attempts to slander people who have done you no harm. Clearly, you are the verbal equivalent of a hoodie on this board, rather than a serious and well-informed poster with a real argument to make. Of course, like all little bullies in the playground, you howl when someone tells you to behave. More pocket than rocket, I fear.

[bourgeoisgentilhomme]

Rocket, mon vieux, what happened to the good old British tradition of fair play? I always thought the British believed in not attacking other people, especially when those others had done them no harm. Or do you feel that we live in an age when such traditions are dead, and we should attack our neighbours gratuitously and unpleasantly? Leave the Sarkozy household to sort out its own affairs, and I am sure they will leave you to sort out yours. Or do you prefer the role of peeping-tom leering over the fence at other people's dirty laundry, while ignoring the stains on your own. Of course, you may not be British... in which case, consider yourself to have received a small amount of free moral education.

[Sandrine]

"Then she should have stayed the hell out of Libya.
When it suits her she can be First Lady [...] When it doesn't suit her, she makes her husband look foolish by walking out."

I totally agree with Rocket (for once).

"I really hate to say this but your comment is so infantile..."

Wow for the second time I totally agree with Rocket :o) Nick's comment was really too funny...

Btw, welcome back Franck, good to read ya again...

[Artemis]

Mrs Sarkozy's behaviour is boorish and ungracious. By the way, she is not devoting her life to "looking after three children" - she and Sarkozy have a 9-yr old son.
Her two daughters by Jacques Martin are adults.

[azloon]

i disagree that the sarkozy's relationship is their business, not ours. they are fair game, as are dubya/laura. let's have at it. the more outrageous and hyperbolic the opinions, the better.

civility and humor make all this more fun, imo.

please, Bourgeoisgentilhomme (is this screenname the longest word in the french language?), no free moral education for me (you get what you pay for).

btw, i don't think Rocket is british, fortunately for him. :)

[terry]

Nick:

"Done no harm"? Did you not say that Rocket was:

b) insecure, c) judgmental, and d) have never actually had a relationship with a woman.

It seems to me, you are not interested in debate. Rather, you are only interested in winning the argument by personal attack. What intellectual laziness you demonstrated. Rocket's response was far too kind.

[rocket]

The comments from our friends and fellow bloggers Nick and Bourgeoisgentilhomme (copy and paste ONLY this long name!) are really way too much.

Let's have a brief look

Nick

"Rocket, qui s'excuse, s'accuse. You have no facts to work with"

Yet you say in a previous post

"I would have to conclude that the posters were a) male, b) insecure, c) judgmental, and d) have never actually had a relationship with a woman."

Talk about having no facts. May I conclude by laughing out loud?

I don't need to explain to the other readers the immense fallacy of your pretense. Or should I say "phallacy"

Gentilhomme,

You assume I am British and then proceed to define my British character and then you say maybe not British. Is that kinda like "oui, mais non, mais"

FYI I am American

Terry

"I was deposing someone 2 weeks ago. She told me she had an MRI of her brain. I asked her "Did they find anything?" She said "No." And I snickered. I don't think she got the joke. Some day, I'll grow up."

get a chuckle out of this

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007963307

[Frank Schnittger]

"I don't think I pushed his head under because surely he would have got a little more excited if that had happened." - Maggie G

I don't know. There's a bad little boy in me that made me snicker when I read that sentence. I'm sorry. I just cant help myself sometimes. - Terry

Naughty, Naughty, Terry! I'm sure Maggie G doesn't even know what you are talking about.

Good to see you still posting away, Sandrine. As EU Commisionner for extraordinary affairs you are particulary well qualified to comment on l'affair Cécilia!

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

One of the longest words in the French language is "anticonstitutionnellement"

[Maggie G]

So what's so terrible about Laura Bush? I thought she was just a rather shy, quiet librarian girl who never wanted to be in the limelight either, but was doing her best to be a proper first lady.

Yet Zbigniew says, "Azloon - do I really need to remind you what a horrible family the family of the current POTUS is?"
and Tobysgirl says, "Anyone who has the sense not to show up at a picnic with the mentally challenged POTUS (uh, duh ...) and his Stepford Wife (grin, grin) can't be all bad."

I also thought that Barbara Bush, the President's mother, was a super, down-to-earth girl who did her own hair all the time she lived in the White House, and that the President's father was a reasonably decent man who managed his own war properly and was probably appalled by some of the things his son did, but didn't butt in.

None of the Americans here (Terry, Azloon) challenged these nasty comments about the Bush family, so does that mean you agree with them?

It shows that Frank is right when he says that the person holding the role of first lady is placed in an impossible position -- damned if she does, and damned if she doesn't. Laura Bush is critisized because she grins; on the other hand we hear that Cecelia never smiles in public.

There is a comment in today's Times by Sarah Vines, who says that Cecelia is "single-handedly leading a small, but very dear to my heart, political rebellion: the emancipation of the politician’s wife."

Looking at in from Sarah Vines' point of view, Cecelia's attitude in general is not so bad though I still think that her behaviour concerning the barbecue was unacceptable. It has nothing to do with being a first lady -- it would be just as bad from a cleaning lady or a princess. She was inconsiderate towards her host and hostess, and inconsiderate towards her husband.

Personally, I have no problem with her not voting on the 6th of May. I think she was probably in a state of emotional turmoil thinking about how her life was going to change once she inside the golden cage.

[Maggie G]

Frank says, " Naughty, Naughty, Terry! I'm sure Maggie G doesn't even know what you are talking about."

Well, I was too thick to see it when I wrote it, but I did catch on when I read Terry's message, in fact I nearly choked this morning when I started laughing about it while doing the crawl.

[Sandrine]

"One of the longest words in the French language is "anticonstitutionnellement"

Daniel, from what I learnt, it's THE longuest.

[Maggie G]

In fact, I saw several people looking at me with amusement when I came out of the water this morning, and thought, "My god, I wonder if they're readers of the Times!"

Because I certainly identified myself very specifically -- the one doing the crawl back and forth between the shower and the garbage can on the dog beach in front of the hippodrome early in the morning. If anyone on that beach reads this blog, they couldn't fail to recognize me! There were only three other people in the water! (The crowds were just starting to arrive as I left.)

But I'm pretty sure they were all French.

I just hope no one from my "running / hiking group" saw that, or I'll never hear the end of it.

[Sandrine]

"As EU Commisionner for extraordinary affairs you are particulary well qualified to comment on l'affair Cécilia!"

I do my best Frank, I do my best... But when somebody like Cecilia comes and starts snubbing people, what can I do ? And she is supposed to be France's FIRST LADY, she can't even BE where she is supposed to be. I mean, I don't understand why she couldn't attend a simple lunch with the Bush family. She humiliates not only her husband, but also her own country when she does that. But she clearly doesn't care about us. She does just what she wants without thinking. And it's just the beginning of sarko's presidency...

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

This is prolly my last comment because after reading the most recent comments I'm really discouraged from replying.

Yes, the family of the current POTUS is a horrible one! What else am I supposed to say about people who belong to the Brotherhood of Death (41 and 43)? What am I supposed to say about a former CIA agent?

President Kennedy is on record as saying that he would abolish the CIA because of the Bay of Pigs Fiasco and their unauthorised overseas killing, and was about to tell the American people the truth about the Brotherhood of Death AKA the Skull&Bones club of which 41 and 43 are members. But the CIA still exists and so does the Skull&Bones Club. So yes, the family of the current POTUS is a horrible one; luckily, he's stepping down 1/20/2009.

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

OK, about Kennedy I may have exxagerated but facts are facts, 41 and 43 _are_ members of the Skull&Bones Club.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_bones

It's horrible enough that they allow such a society to exist on American soil.

The CIA is also the same organisation that presented false data about WMD which caused the Iraqi war AND the worsening of Franco-American diplomatic relations.

Had the CIA not blatantly LIED, it wouldn't have been necessary to improve Franco-American diplomatic relations in the first place. Or did Dubya order the CIA to falsify data to have a pretext for war? Isn't the war coherent with the name SKULL AND BONES?

Why do people expect that Mrs Sarkozy will want to meet with a family of warmongers (i.e. the Bushes)?

[rocket]

Maggie

"None of the Americans here (Terry, Azloon) challenged these nasty comments about the Bush family, so does that mean you agree with them?"

No, It just means that we hear them so often and even so often coming form the mouths of our French friends who always have "leur mot à dire" that we don't even pay attention anymore

[Hugues]

The reference to Marie-Antoinette is not surprising, our hyperpresidential couple is moving to Versailles :

http://hugues.blogs.com/commvat/2007/08/polmique-sur-li.html

[Terry]

Maggie:

It is a bit of a turn-on for me that I can write something in New Jersey and make someone choke (and laugh) nearly 5000 miles away while swimming in the Mediterranean. The pen truly is mightier than the sword.

I like how Frank laid the quote with your name after it.

"I don't think I pushed his head under because surely he would have got a little more excited if that had happened." - Maggie G

Won't this look nice on your tombstone.

Anyway, it's good to know you're not that demanding.

As for the derogatory comments about the Bush family from our new friends here, I certainly do not agree with them. There is something in law we call a "conclusory" argument. It's merely stating a conclusion without any supporting facts. So when a certain Pole says:

"what a horrible family the family of the current POTUS is".

it really is a meaningless statement. How is the family Bush horrible? He doesnt tell us. He just says it is. Did he convince anyone by making this statement? It doesnt require a reply because the statement itself is quite empty. Moreover, it's not likely anyone would swallow this statement. Laura and the Bush twins are evil? I don't think so.

Also, the vitriol displayed by many of the left towards Bush has been a lot worse than calling Bush's family horrible. He's a warmonger, he knew about 9/11 before it happened, Bush lied, people died and other sinister characterizations. This, he quite seems like a boob in most regards.

[Mark Arneson]

Rocket, couldn't agree more. A couple is a couple and there to support each other! That's a pretty shabby way to treat your life partner, humiliate him on the world stage. Too busy to take a few hours out of her day to attend a function that he felt was important.

It's funny how some boiled it down to nothing more than a dollars and cents issue. It's not her job, she's not on the clock and getting paid, why should she go? Maybe he should have just hired a hooker to fill in for her.

He doesn't seem a whole lot better though. Nicky starts the vacation off by assaulting a couple of private citizens on a public waterway.

Trailer trash touring America! If they hang around long enough they have a good chance of pushing Britney Spears out of the news.

Cécilia and Sarko - putting the fun is dysfucntional!

[Terry]

Rocket:

That was a good link. Quite remarkable actually.

Here's an amusing link to some of the dumb things lawyers have asked during trials and depositions.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13408/What-People-say-in-Court

[Terry]

Frank:

"Naughty, Naughty, Terry!"

That's right, blame me. Maggie writes smut in her post and I get taken behind the woodshed for pointing it out.

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

Terry, I am not a leftist and I did not make any derogatory comments about the Bush family. I only said that:
1) 41 and 43 are members of the Brotherhood of Death - and backed up that claim with a link. THAT is why I said that the Bush family is horrible.
2) Yes, 43 is a warmonger. He used CIA-fabricated lies and started a war (Sarko is too against that war) and caused millions of people to die.

[Terry]

Zbig:

I never said you were a leftist. Some other adjectives come to mind.

[Terry]

ZBig:

"Yes, the family of the current POTUS is a horrible one!"-Zbig 16 Aug 2007 14:41:30

"Terry, ...I did not make any derogatory comments about the Bush family." -Zbig 16 Aug 2007 19:36:51

Zbig, you are outmatched on this website. Why don't you go back to hunting children on the internet?

[rocket]

Zbig

"Terry, I am not a leftist and I did not make any derogatory comments about the Bush family"

"I only said that:
1) 41 and 43 are members of the Brotherhood of Death"

Whew!

I must really get some cultural sensitivity classes with Eastern European cultures to understand this.

Zbig. Hold on a bit and our friend Dominique will be back from his 8 week vacation.

[Valentin]

lol Maggie oh Maggie, a place like this, with people like Terry or Azloon flying in circles, this is no place for a sage girl to tell nice holiday stories. I was sucking my cheek from the very first swim post, man how she's calling for it, Terry was fretting around about Corsica and how he likes lying around doing nothing, and she goes on and on. And then comes the doggie story, that was too much! I almost thought you did it on purpose lol

[Daniel Strohl]

Maggie G,

I like Charles' blog, because there are many opinions on various matters, coming from various persons scattered all over the world and over the age ladder up to the veterans (my case). Everybody tries to stay polite and respectful.

However, as you probably will have noticed too, there are also a few "affreux Jojo" on this blog; in this respect, one may mention - in alphabetical order - Azloon, Rocket and Terry.

For non French speaking persons : "Jojo" is the diminutive of "Georges". An "affreux Jojo" is a nasty boy. Of course, there are many "Jojo" jokes - hereafter a typical one :

Jojo's mother sends her son accompanied by his little sister to the bakery and recommands him strongly to be back on time and to take care of his sister.

As usual, Jojo is late. His mother leans out of the window to call him; she sees Jojo dragging his sister by her hair on the pavement. She screams :"Jojo, are you crazy ?"
"No, Mom, it does not matter - she is already dead !"

[azloon]

Daniel/Maggie/Rocket/Terry/Sandrine/Valentin

so i (along with two others) am an "affreux Jojo," "flying in circles." i was afraid of that. but now that it's 'out,' i feel better.

i submit that perhaps Maggie is a "nasty girl" -- an "affreuse Joja?" she's getting a lot of mileage (nautical) out of this shaggy dog story.

there really not much more to be said about dubya and laura that hasn''t been said. i don't believe they are horrible people. george seems a bit dim (tho he actually scored higher on his college aptitude tests than did john kerry), and he hasn't been a particularly good president, not as good as his father. the vast majority of americans do not support him, and he will likely leave office rated poorly among u.s. presidents. i doubt he'll care very much. it is this attitude that has made him such a great statesman.

'pretty woman' julia roberts was asked what she thought about the bush twin, teen-age daughters being arrested for underage drinking a few years back. "i'd drink alot if i had their parents," she said.

julia, of course, is one of the beautiful people, a member of what they call in chile and argentina (and france?), "le gauche divine." Cecilia may be a closet member of this group as well though probably just a spoiled brat.

[Zbigniew Mazurak]

Rocket - if anyone should resume hunting children it's you. I said that Dubya's family is a horrible one - that is not a derogatory comment, that is a justified statement. Justified because they are members of the most horrible organisation in the world - the Brotherhood of DEATH.

[lynn]

Cecilia Sarkozy is a woman in her own right, and does not have to fit into a "First Lady" mould - that would be so boring.

BTW, Nicholas Sarkozy has shown that he is less chauvinist than most by smartly remaining silent. I like him - I think he's good for France.

[Frank Schnittger]

I see Bayonne captain Richard Dourthe has succeeded in his wish to have Irish Captain Brian O'Driscoll injured ahead of the crucial France versus Ireland clash in the Rugby World Cup next month.

Before the match Richard Dourthe told L'Equipe that he would be doing France a favour if he managed to injure O'Driscoll, rated the World's top centre and possibly the best player in the world.

O'Driscoll is facing three to four weeks on the sidelines after fracturing his sinus and suffering a deep laceration under his right eye after being punched by second row Mikaera Tewhata during the second half of Ireland's 42-6 win over Bayonne. Fortunately his cheekbone wasn't broken - an injury which would have forced him to miss the World Cup altogether.

There is a history to all of this. The last time O'Driscoll and Dourthe played against each other, O'Driscoll ran rings around Dourthe - so much so that Dourthe was never selected to play for France again.

When O'Driscoll Captained the British and Irish Lions team against New Zealand he was also targeted for special treatment. In the first minute of the first test two New Zealand Players illegally spear tackled him and injured him so badly he wasn't able to play for almost a year afterwards.

Is this the sort of sportsmanship we can expect at the Rugby World Cup?

[Maggie G]

Valentin,

This is all Azloon's fault because he critisized me once when I said I liked to stick to the topic. Did you notice, the first time Terry asked me about running, I didn't answer because I didn't want to bore the other bloggers with details about private affairs not related to the discussion.

But Rocket is always making comments about Mr Bremner's cute little doggie and this dog incident was so amazing for me, that I decided what the heck -- it's summertime and everyone else does it so, throwing caution to the wind, I told my story.

And look where it has landed me!

From now on, let Rocket tell the doggie stories. I shall not be straying off the straight and narrow path laid down by Mr Bremner!

[Maggie G]

Well, guess what. My sister-in-law just backed the car from the driveway onto the street, and there was a black cat running back and forth on the roof!

Comments, anyone?

[Spinifex]

"Cécilia unsettles France"? Oh, puh-leeze, it's just a big hype created by the media. As most French, I don't give a fig about what she does.

And what's all this incredibly mysoginistic talk about "taming" Cecilia Sarkozy? She's a 50 years old human being, not a horse!

[Ros]

I think the expression "hunting children" whether used by Terry or Zbigniew Mazurak or anyone for that matter is
a horrible expression and should (or maybe " could)" have been monitored!

[rocket]

Zbig

Rocket - if anyone should resume hunting children it's you.

Huh?

"Zbig, you are outmatched on this website. Why don't you go back to hunting children on the internet?"

The above "hunting children to which you refer was Terry's statement not mine. I'll thank you to read the entire comment in the future before choosing someone randomly for your response.

[Terry]

Maggie:

The black cat was on the roof because swimming in the sea has (recently) become too perilous.

Frank:

I played rugby for nine years. One of my teammates got a chuckle kneeing someone in the face during a maul in his first "a" game. I warned him that they were going to get him. Second half, he was on his way to the hospital with a broken nose. It's just too easy to get dirty players back. I think justice will be found somehow.

I just play rugby on this site now. Did you play?

Daniel:

I have been called many things. JoJo ain't one of them. I relish the compliment, though. I am not so sure Rocket is as JoJoish as me or Azloon. But I heartedly appreciate being considered in such good company. Then again, Rocket ratted me out on my internet comment.

[Terry]

Daniel, Valentin and all:

Call me a JoJo if you want. But Maggie also said in the same post:

"but it's like getting to be a kid again, exploring all over the bush."

And I said nothing.

But I am the one with the potty mouth. What was really on your mind in that post, Maggie?

[Frank Schnittger]

Terry - no I didn't play rugby much - I was too light and didn't enjoy the rough stuff. The problem with O'Driscoll being injured cannot be resolved by some "Tit-for-tat" tactics. (No sexual innuendo intended!).

This is because although Ireland's first team is arguably as good as any in the world, we simply do not have the strength in depth of the major Rugby playing nations - New Zealand, South Africa, England and France. (They have many times as many players playing the game as they are bigger countries and as rugby is a minority sport in Ireland - ranking behind Gaelic football, hurling and soccer).

Thus if we lose one of key payers we are much more likely to lose a key match. This year we beat England by 30 points but lost to France by 3 points when O'Driscoll was out injured. The obvious tactic for opposing teams is therefore to injure one of about 5 players in the Irish team who are world class but for whom we have no adequate replacements.

France regularly make 5 or more changes in their team with little impact on their performance. We are relying on keeping our first XV intact if we are to have any realistic chance of winning the World Cup. To have any chance of winning, we need to beat France in the first round as the loser will likely face New Zealand (the hot favourites) in the quarter finals.

There is a lot of glory (and many millions) at stake as neither France nor Ireland have ever won the World Cup. As France is hosting the competition this year they are under huge pressure to do well. Ireland are the major obstacle to their ambitions and thus the incident has sparked a lot of journalistic speculation as to whether it was planned.

In fairness, the Irish team have refused to encourage this speculation and the President of the French Rugby Federation has promised an investigation. No doubt super Sarko, the hyper President will soon get involved as he has already appointed the French Team Coach as a Minister in his Government.

Perhaps Charles, you could do a lead article on the controversy?

[Valentin]

Hey stop being defensive, you ramblers :)
For me, at least, digressions are always welcome.
Terry, name-calling is our kind of friendly punch where Sandrine simply says "I like you". We like to show how smart we are too :)
Maggie, do keep speaking your mind, what's the point not to.We're sort of on our way to becoming a community. Charles will soon have to give out free mail accounts !
cheers
Valentin

[azloon]

"Cecilia Sarkozy? She's a 50 years[sic] old human being, not a horse!" SPINIFEX

spinner, this goes right to my point of her needing to be 'put out to pasture,' as suggested in a previous post.

if not a complete horse, she is, at least, a portion of the horse's anatomy.

the hind portion.

Maggie, please don't be discouraged at the reaction to your self-disclosures re swimming. at first, one feels a little naked (sorry), but as more is revealed (oops), it seems more natural (au naturel), even adventurous. so, let's have more.

to reassure you, i have only vaguely considered coming to your beach and seeking you out for coffee. cagnes-sur-mer, between the trash can and the ... what?

:)

[Daniel Strohl]

Can anybody help me ? Why is GWB nicknamed "Dubya" ? Is it may be because of the Texan pronounciation of "W" ? (I have spent a few days in Houston for professional reasons many years ago, but not long enough to get the local accent subleties ...).

[Daniel Strohl]

Frank,

I am not a rugby amateur, but I am ashamed about what happened.

As to the nomination of the French Team Coach as a (future) minister, should it be confirmed after the championship, it will be a shame too. I can't stand the guy (we see him almost everyday on TV ad spots) and my wife can't stand him either. Of course, we don't know him personally. May be we are wrong, but I do not believe so.

[azloon]

RUGBY

now THERE'S a sport for affreux yo-yo's. it figures that Terry played, tho i've often thought it took a misfiring of one's prefrontal cortex to play this sport seriously. even if you didn't start with this condition, you'd end up so what with all the head mashing followed straight away with massive alcohol consumption and exchange of blood samples and jerseys with your opponents.

my rugby career lasted two months. i was recruited by a sadistic fraternity brother because his club team needed a 'hooker' (really) for a seven-man tournament to be played in ontario, across the river from my university. because i am short i was presumed ideal (or a sucker) for this position (the hooker locks shoulders with two towering brutes [props] and then attempts, legs dangling, to hook the ball back out of the scrum to waiting "backs."

aside from a cauliflower ear, the scrum part was ok. but when later i found myself the only player between the opponents' monster, galloping fullback and the goal line, i saw my life flash before me. suicidally, i ran directly at the guy hoping to at least alter his path allowing a teammate to tackle him. he had other ideas, and staring menacingly into my eyes, proceeded to run directly over the top of me. it was a scene out out of a road runner cartoon. i felt his shoelace dragging across my outstreached fingers, and imagined the ceiling of the sistine chapel.

not a single teammate consoled me, nor gave me an "atta boy/you'll get 'em next time." i was a rugby failure, and no one wanted that scent of failure to rub off. my teammates then went off to drink and make merry (and order in the real hookers) and i licked my wounds.

i learned important two things in my young adulthood: when drinking, don't consent to play rugby or enlist in the marine corps.

it takes leather balls to play rugby. amateurs take heed!

[christopher muir]

I had to read it three times to believe it.
GWB is described as a "great statesman" by ALZOON. Can the writer be serious?
All countries have their own troubles, but may I suggest that America under the leadership of this "great statesman" presently has more than its fair share of woes. Please let's get back to discussing Sarko, Cecilia and French wine.

[Ros]

I think we've exhausted the topic of "Sarko,Cecilia and French wine" -as for GWB, why not reserve him for his election time next year? What's coming up next, Charles?

[azloon]

*******I had to read it three times to believe it.
GWB is described as a "great statesman" by ALZOON. Can the writer be serious?*******

Christopher Muir, Christopher....calm down... re-read my post. and, this time, THINK IRONY ("the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning").

great statesmen usually care at least a little about what others think of them, hence the notion of "statesmenship." i wrote dubya probably wouldn't care much about his ratings by historians. and that this quality of his (not caring) was what has made him the great statesmen he is. i guess i should have put the word in quotes. was everyone else as confused as Christopher?

i'll try to remember that irony doesn't work vey well when talking about a person whom many others (read europeans) has decided is the cause of all the world's problems. your disdain is palpable. i might have well have been talking about hitler.

i suggest all you bush bashers (and i'm not a big fan) go forth today with a positive attitude, loving your children, practicing your spiritual beliefs, knowing that a life on earth can be rewarding and pleasurable even though GBW inhabits the whitehouse. just because this is a french blog doesn't mean we all have to succumb to a chronically depressed view of life.

cheers

[azloon]

Daniel --

re 'dubya'

yes, it's the texas hillbilly pronouniation of the english letter W (normally pronounced "double-you.")

it came into use by journalists as a way to differentiate father (george HW bush) and son. another way: "bush 41" and "bush 43," their numerical order in our presidential 'hit parade.' incidentally, dubya was the affreux Jojo (yo-yo) in that family, that is until he threw away his bong and joined the army of jesus.

hillary and bill won't be such a problem because they have different first names, and ostensibly are of different sexes. "Billary" works too. simple and accurate.

[terry]

Daniel:

Bush=W=Dubya=Double U

Dubya is the texas drawl way of pronouncing W.

[Valentin]

lol Azloon, pointless rambling against French, Europeans, Bush bashers and the rest: if I remember well, Christopher is Australian, and he never quite sounded a Bush basher, or with a depressed view of life for that matter.
Are you quite certain your outburst isn't rather of the freudian kind ? :)

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

"... or enlist in the marine corps".

I am somewhat confused. Are the Marines called leathernecks or leather balls ?

[bonnie]

hmmm... I have to say apologetically that there are people in the US who felt rather envious of Mrs Sarkozy's opportunity for a snub. I can only wistfully wonder what the great Texan political satirist, Molly Ivans ("Shrub") would have said. We miss you, Molly!

[christopher muir]

ALZOON,
I'm letting you know that I've calmed down. Thanks for your reply. As a matter of interest, in Australia W is often heard as doubleyar.

Cheers

[helen]

Cecilia is a normal woman with ambivalent feelings..public or private. Most of us are like her so stop picking on her. She is lucky to get what she demands. Some women get away with it...for Sarkozy, it is still more important for him to conquer her than to conquer the public's support for him. She is doing well to keep Sarkozy endlessly chasing after her. The old saying: Treat em mean; keep em keen.

[tiger darson]

What Philip Tonkovich said. The world's strongest, most independent women are still being lambasted by the press, and by the public whose opinions are spoon-fed to them by the press, as if this was 1950. The 20th century and its Jacqueline Kennedy are gone, and the patriarchal ideals of that time are now recognized by most as being a mirror-image of reality: easily mistaken for the truth, but to the more observant eye, plainly backward. Precious few modern women are content to live in their husband's shadows, and indeed, most call the shots, with their husbands - where any man is so lucky as to have been taken as husband by such a woman - happily jumping when their women say "jump." Mr. Sarkozy seems to be such a man, secure enough in his masculinity to understand that one of the chief measures of a man's success is the degree to which he pleases his wife, and certainly not the other way around.

And let Mr. Bremner and his readers nota bene: "le mystère Cécilia" translates literally not to "the Cécilia problem," but "the Cécilia mystery" - a very different thing, and nothing for any woman, nor her husband, to be ashamed of.

[azloon]

"Are you quite certain your outburst isn't rather of the freudian kind ? :)"

you can be certain, Monsieur V, that most, if not all, of my outbursts are of the fruedian kind. if you mean, was i "projecting"? i suppose i do that too. don't we all?

i didn't realize Christopher was australian and likely wouldn't have made reference to french "depressionism" if i'd known (even tho the 'wailing and knashing of teeth' about bush by others here gets old quickly). aussies, god bless and forgive them, are the closest thing to americans on this planet. and yes, i should have said "american english" when talking about pronouncing "dubya."

"I can only wistfully wonder what the great Texan political satirist, Molly Ivans ("Shrub") would have said" about the sarkozy picnic snub -- Bonnie.

Bonnie, it doesn't take much imagination to figure this one out though ms. sarkozy can take small consolation in knowing that molly ivans would have feasted on her bad manners.

btw, a previous post defended cecilia as having NOT voted for her husband on "only" one occasion. lol. i guess she could have been more contemptuous than that: she could have actually voted for someone else.

Helen: "Cecilia is a normal woman with ambivalent feelings."

which of course is exactly why sarko is totally screwed by having her as his wife (the worst is yet to come, i'm afraid). politicians often need a "better half" to reassure voters they aren't the asses they sometimes appear to be. cecelia only confirms that sarko is indeed the ass he sometimes appears to be. this being said, he's the ass france needs at the moment.

politics demand abnormal (read restrained) humans of both sexes. normal (with raving neuroses) isn't an option.

[Daniel Strohl]

Helen,

"Treat em mean; keep em keen".

Yes, this is probably true in many cases. But, like any good cook knows, it is better to (slightly) underspice than to overspice grossly ...

Sorry for the inelegant comparison !

[rocket]

Helen

"Some women get away with it...for Sarkozy, it is still more important for him to conquer her than to conquer the public's support for him. She is doing well to keep Sarkozy endlessly chasing after her. The old saying: Treat em mean; keep em keen."

It seems as though you obvious see relationships as eternal game playing. Not very feminist in my view but possibly an attempt to show female dominance over men rather than equality.

How long does this little game go on for in your opinion? A lifetime and then when her looks are gone, you've conquered her and die.

[terry]

Bonnie:

"I can only wistfully wonder what the great Texan political satirist, Molly Ivans ("Shrub") would have said.!"

I can confidently tell you what ole Molly would have said if she were still alive today. Here it is...

"Hellllllppp! Someone let me out of this coffin!"

[azloon]

"and then when her looks are gone" -- Rocket

we must be talking about different women. you've been around there for awhile -- were they ever "there"... or does she just photograph badly?

if all this fuss were about julie delphy or catherine deneuve (not only do they have looks, they have panache), i could forgive sarko using his other head to guide him.

does that guy actually realize what he's got ?? he could be rich, powerful, and single in france, of all places.

that's the trifecta for getting wonderfully laid,

[Mark Arneson]

"What Philip Tonkovich said. The world's strongest, most independent women are still being lambasted by the press, and by the public whose opinions are spoon-fed to them by the press, as if this was 1950."

No this isn't 1950. Not too long ago my wife and I, as well as another couple, were invited over to the home of one of my wifes co-workers. I had never met the other couple. We arrived at the appointed time and had a nice meal and a few glasses of wine. The evening was very pleasant. The only problem was that the hostess' husband spent the entire evening in the garage playing with one of his toys.

Was he a strong independent man with a life of his own? No! Life is a lot more simple than that.

He was an asshole!

He was married - not independent. Independent is a word that describes a single person.

Straight or gay, man or woman, when your part of a couple and your partner wants to do something and it's very important to them you need to bend a bit and go along to make them happy.

Philip Tonkovich couldn't be more wrong. Cecelia is nothing more than an asshole.

[rocket]

Azloon

"Her" in this case referring to women in general, not Cecilia. Personally, I don't believe she is particularly attractive.

[Tara_Lane]

Maggie G, thank you for all your comments on this page. I'm an American, and while I personally can't stand President Bush, I still wouldn't make a lunch date with his wife and then cancel. Hell, I wouldn't make a lunch date with HIM and then cancel - - dislike him though I may, I think the statement Cecilia is making is that she herself is spoiled, rather than some sort of statement of her feelings about the administration. And surely Laura and her daughters can't be called "evil." Someone might not like what they represent, but "evil" is a ridiculous misnomer.

BTW, am due to deliver a son in about six weeks. I am considering naming him William and calling him "Will" but am nervous that here in Texas he'll be come "W." Husband thinks I'm being silly, but hey, you never know...

[azloon]

Tara --

if anyone calls your lovely son Dubya (Will is great name), proceed immediately to court for a restraing order against that name's use in association with your son. it's sort of like patent protection. strike early and often. perhaps, Terry can advise.

imo, the name Dubya will, over the years, become generic for a dull-witted, "what me worry?," bozo sort of character not completely unlike our commander-in-chief.

as i write this, i am muttering ten "hail marys" for having voted for him in 2000.

your view of cecilia's behavior is too sensible for this board.

:)

[John Gregory Flinn]

Margaret Trudeau!
Yes Maggie G, (sorry to be so late - been on hols) did'nt she seek and/or secure a relationship with Mick Jagger?
Perhaps that's why Cecilia keeps 'poser un lapin' - she's looking for her 'Mick Jagger' (equivalent).

[Tara_Lane]

Azloon,

Your post cracked me up. I voted for him, too, in 2000 and stayed awake in vain that night hoping to find out the result.

I only wish there were an adult version of washing my mouth out with soap that would get rid of the shudder I feel each time I remember that decision...

[Maggie G]

Hi John Gregory F,

How nice to see that someone in this blog remembers Margaret Trudeau!

I don't think she had an affair with Mick Jagger, but that weekend triggered the end of her marriage.

She watched two Toronto weekend recording sessions by the Stones and it happened to be the night of her sixth wedding anniversary. I'm not sure she even partied with them afterwards, but pictures were taken of them together and hit all the front pages of the papers, and then a few days later she was in New York to attend a ballet performance and she was besieged by reporters. (I still have the newspaper clipping in a scrapbook.)

Asked by a reporter whether she was having an affair with Jagger, Mrs Trudeau, appearing startled, replied, "Heavens, no."

When a reporter asked Mrs Trudeau about her relationship with her husband, she snapped, "How's your relationship with your wife?"

The next day it was announced that she had cancelled several public appearances in hopes of taking some of the pressure off, and that she was tired of the public and had had enough. Within a month she and the Prime Minister were taking separate Easter holidays, and then she left him to pursue a photography career.

I think the way she was hounded over that incident shocked her quite a bit. She was very young and was fed up of protocol, and just wanted to be a private person, and have a job, and be independent.

Oh, here's another quote: "Do you understand what it is for a man and a woman to go to bed at night knowing there are two guards outside? If they were any closer they would have been at the foot of the bed."