Pave: Preparing The Trip To The Dentist

Le jour 54 de Sarko

Sarko continues to confound the Parti Socialiste -- and his critics. And his supporters.

SARKOZY CONSIDERING SOCIALISTS TO HEAD IMF

PARIS, July 6, 2007 (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy may soon decide to back either Dominique Strauss-Kahn or Laurent Fabius,* both former Socialist ministers, to head the International Monetary Fund, a spokesman said Friday.

Sarkozy spokesman David Martinon, asked by a reporter if the president would support either of their candidacies, replied: "These are two men of quality. The president of the republic will answer this question in the coming days."

M. Strauss-Kahn has resigned his leadership post at the PS and M. Laurent has announced his intent to do so.

FRANCE'S SARKOZY WANTS STRAUSS-KAHN AS IMF HEAD

PARIS July 7, 2007 (WaPo/Reuters) - In an interview published by Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Saturday, Sarkozy said he had already put forward Strauss-Kahn's name to U.S. President George W. Bush and the leaders of Spain, Italy and Britain.

"I want Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be France's candidate at the head of the IMF because he is the best suited to this post," Sarkozy was quoted as saying in the interview, released in advance of publication on Sunday.

... [German Finance Ministry spokesman Torsten Albig]:

Strauss-Kahn is a good European candidate and we hold him in high regard.

... Critics have suggested that Sarkozy wants to place Strauss-Kahn in the prestigious post to deprive the Socialists of one of their most popular and effective figures.

M. Laurent loses the nod to DSK because after his strong opposition to the EU Constitution in 2005 (compelling him to split from his own party), well, he is not considered a very "good European". That and his career-crumbling comb-over.

So what is Sarko up to?

Every French government for the past 30 some odd years that has embarked on reforms, even modest reforms, has failed. Like a trip to the dentist that is postponed till the pain of staying home is greater than the pain of the required dentistry, the French have frustrated reforms until their economy is in danger of irreparable slippage. Under Then-Jack, Now Ex-Jack's stewardship the French economy slipped from fifth to seventh place. So the French have voted in Sarko, but that doesn't mean they are any too happy about reforms.

To push through ambitious reforms, Sarko needs friends he doesn't have, he needs unnatural alliances, and most importantly he needs a mollified or ineffectual opposition. The main opposition is the PS. So Sarko is dismantling the PS leadership with reach-outs and appointment candy to PS luminaries.

But why would PS luminaries sign on with Sarko at the peril of their own party?

Well for one thing, the PS is in the middle of a combo "dark night of the soul" and "night of the long knives", dominated by the unhappy and volatile Ségo-Frank dogfight. While the party seeks to sort out the humanity of socialism, its members score-settle, backstab, and cut a little throat along the way. It's politically messy. Politically deadly. Even a socialist bossling can see the advantage in stepping away for the relative calm and prestige of a Washington appointment.

Secondly, the PS is out of power. Aside from its president-in-waiting and its premier secrétaire, no one else gets much notice. Other than crafting press releases there are few opportunites to wield power or keep one's name before the public. At the IMF, however, one can ruin national economies and make headlines on the business wires every day.

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* Recently voted the sixth most loathed politician in France.

PFFT (What is this?): Getting France into the dental chair 4 | Defanging the opposition 3½ | Rayonnement français ½