[Cincinna]

Jim Pinkerton channels noted Conservative, Edmund Burke:

“But specifically,” I queried, “what’s Sarkozy’s task?”

“He must modernize his economy, in keeping with the verities of hard work and thrift. He must protect the French from ruffians in their midst. And he must safeguard his country from two alien dogmas: the border-flattening beliefs of the globalizers and the mortal danger of Islam, threatening to extinguish the glory of Europe forever.”

[Lexinom]

Sarkozy has an uphill battle in the offing as "hard work" and "thrift" do not qualify as traditional French ideals. Elegance, yes; nuance, absolutely; sophistication, intelligence, wit, cynicism, all true enough of the French. But "hard work" and "thrift" are (donning my flame suit) historically in the province of the Protestant work ethic and characterized nations like England, Scotland, Germany and The Netherlands.

The question is, can Nicolas Sarkozy change ingrained historical norms in French thinking? I'm quite hopeful for him and desirous of his success, but change will likely occur gradually and require patience on his part.