France's Sarkozy hardly the 'model' of savoir-faire

[struggle4progress]

Jan. 19, 2008, 12:55PM
By FROMA HARROP

... A divorced man of 52, Sarkozy says all this is a private matter. Fine, but then why take the 39-year-old Carla Bruni on state visits to socially conservative countries, where such unmarried coupledom is frowned upon? ...

The modelizer's agenda is to advertise his ability to attract certified beautiful women. His "conquest" must always be recorded — hence the photos of the French president strutting with Bruni on a beach, he in trunks, she in bikini.

What complicates this romantic picture is that the beach happened to be in Egypt, a country that welcomes neither nakedness nor cohabitation. The Saudis recently ordered Sarkozy not to bring Bruni with him to the Islamic kingdom. And India's government is fretting about a planned trip that could include snookums. Why couldn't he just leave the girlfriend at home? ...

So the French now have as their "first couple" an exhibitionist president and bad girl who loves publicity. Sarkozy's term ends in 2012.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5468775.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Will Sarkozy be visiting the Vatican anytime soon?

[struggle4progress]

2. Pope Benedict XVI met President Sarkozy – but the model girlfriend Carla Bruni was missing

December 21, 2007
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3077934.ece