I’m on PJ duty again today and another great story popped up, this one from France via one of my favorite blogs – L’Ombre de l’Olivier. Apparently our good friends de Villepin and Chirac (by extension) have been up to some not unexpected dirty tricks to tarnish rival Nicolas Sarkozy – actually to make Sarko seem like a criminal. This is the kind of nasty corruption game we don’t even begin to play and (if you can make your way through its spy novel ins and outs) easily outdistances our own scandals. The French are, of course, more blasé (their word, after all) about these things, but not, ultimately, for their own good. Check out the links at the PJ post – amusing reading now that le Carré has gone off the deep end.
UPDATE: Meandering around the L’Ombre de l’Olivier for this post, I noticed another entry with photos of a 20-30 century old olive tree. Worth a look.
MORE: Fausta had an extensive post on this scandal – “The Clearstream Affair”- on Friday.
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5 Comments
1. Sandy P:Jack-O being goose-stepped to the hoosegow after he leaves office, if not during.
Jack Straw’s “good friend” Dom along for the ride.
On to the 6th Republic!
I know it pains you, Roger, but I love it. But I would think there’s going to be a big power play and it’s going to get very ugly — possibly sooner than we thought.
Apr 30, 2006 - 9:12 am 2. Fausta:De Villepin apparently was trying to make it look as if Sarko was money laundering.
Apr 30, 2006 - 1:00 pm 3. Fausta:However, Clearstream, clearinghouse for Deutsche Boerse AG, has become a civil plaintiff in the investigation by French magistrates of false allegations of money laundering by French executives and politicians, in an effort to protect the company’s image.
Last Friday I was asking (with apologies for the shameless self-promotion) if this scandal makes Villepin go, who will Chirac appoint? The Interior Minister is the 2d-ranking post in the government, and Sarko holds that post.
Apr 30, 2006 - 1:06 pm 4. Martin Hague:It’s not just de Villepin, Chirac himself has fingerprints on the documents.
Perhaps they should reprise the fake-but-accurate explanation.
Unluckily for them, the press doesn’t see these clowns as socialists (they all are), but as right-wing!!
Apr 30, 2006 - 4:35 pm 5. Barry Meislin:Delicieux!
May 1, 2006 - 3:24 am