Posted on 11/08/2007 3:15:30 PM PST by knighthawk
state visit is a natural occasion for rhetoric celebrating the ties between guest and host. Having declared at the White House on Tuesday that he wished to "reconquer the heart of America in a lasting fashion", Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday wooed a joint session of Congress with mentions of Lafayette and Washington, American intervention in Europe in 1917 and 1944, the Marshall Plan and the Berlin airlift.
But on top of these familiar historical references, the French president lauded the "can-do" spirit of America, whether expressed through stars such as Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe or through the moon landing of 1969. America's moral value consisted in its "extraordinary ability to grant people another chance"; it was a country where "failure is never the last word", where nothing is owed but everything has to be earned.
Such verbal flourishes were, inevitably, somewhat punctured by Mr Sarkozy's analysis of current problems. He spoke of standing shoulder to shoulder in Afghanistan, without mentioning that French troops are not engaged in combat operations. He made no reference to Iraq. His determination to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons did not envisage military action. And his belief that the way towards French re-integration into Nato's military command is through strengthening the European Union's defence capability failed to convince.
Nevertheless, after the froideur of the second Chirac presidency, Mr Sarkozy's outspoken admiration of his hosts has opened a new era in Franco-American relations.
It is an achievement of which our Government, seeking a certain distance between itself and the Bush administration, ought to take heed.
France is not about to usurp Britain as America's closest military ally. But its president has something to teach Whitehall about the importance of publicly celebrating what unites our two countries.
Ping
He sounds like the Margaret Thatcher of this generation.
Good for Europe, for France and for us. Need at least one European leader without his/her head far up their descending colon...
bump
He’s a hotie too.
Mr. Sarkozy appears to be more of a Patriotic American than any of the RATS in Congress.
That's in the eye of the beholder...
Yep. He is a hotie.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.