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Come on folks, give the guy a break. It’s refreshing to hear pro-American rhetoric with a Gallic accent. Accept it.

Oh, I accept it. I just don't accept that he really speaks for France if the going gets a little tough and we need a friend. Since DeGaulle's mischief with NATO, the French have a way of behaving like enemies or rivals at the drop of a hat. The French diplomatic corps is especially loathsome, worse than our own Foggy Bottom.

Nor am I convinced that Sarko really has gained control of the full apparatus of French government. It is not structured for command-and-control and that is deliberate. This limits Sarko's action unless he undertakes some major political battles.

Look, I cheered Sarko to victory, defended him, urged others to drop the boycott and wish France well. My opinion hasn't changed. But my memory of France's record in NATO, in international diplomacy and as a trading partner has not been magically erased by a few magic words and even the sincere support we have received from Sarko.

So I see Sarko as positive for France herself and certainly an improvement for American policy objectives. I'm not prepared to buy into the idea that France is a reliable ally along the lines of Blair's or Thatcher's England. At present, he can only be regarded as similar to former prime minister Aznar of Spain: someone who wants to be a good ally but who may not be able to sustain it domestically. We wish him well but commitment to task and ability to survive real domestic opposition has not been demonstrated. There is no indication that Sarko possesses Blair's considerable talents as a politician, a man possibly more gifted politically than even the Bent One himself.

I welcome France's deployment of the De Gaulle with our fleet off Iran and a new positive attitude from Sarko. But France is not in a position to help us greatly. France needs to help itself first and to put its domestic house in order. They are facing an internal crisis and entrenched entitlement interests and social problems that have festered for decades and an economy strangled by socialism and a rather dire demographic outlook. Sarko must address that, no easy task. Saving France for the West and creating a broader prosperity and economic opportunities across the sweep of French society is his primary job. And that alone will be a Herculean labor. He will have done well for France and as a member of the West if he can accomplish even that much.