August 26, 2007
Will v. Sarkozy
You've got to love the Angry Left. They stick to their narrative of America bad, (anywhere else) great, no matter what the circumstances may be, and they're not really worried about letting things like facts get in the way.
George Will has penned an acid column knocking the recently-elected Nicolas Sarkozy for something. It's early in the morning and I'm not firing on all cylinders anyways, but the gist of it seems to be that Sarkozy may act in the perceived interests of France, as opposed to the EU or the US. The horror!
I don't know the truth of it at this point, and I really don't care. France will do what France will do, and we can only sit back and watch, kind of like Edmund Burke reportedly did when Robespierre & Co. were trashing the capital.
What's worth reading in the column is some of the reactions. As of 0945 here in the East, none of them extend beyond standard Kossack fare, whining about a Bush-Cheney boondoggle or how great the Fifth Republic is while simultaneously damning America. Yawn.
I had to laugh at the last pair of remarks by a chap who calls himself 'Gatsby1':
I wouldn't exactly go out on a limb claiming that the current French political system is far older and inherently more complex than that of the United States. Last time I checked, we're still under a system agreed to in the 18th century. The government that sent Comte de Grasse to the Virginia Capes---thank you very much, Louis XVI; wish we'd been able to help you in your time of need---had been annihilated prior to 1800 courtesy of the aforementioned Robespierre & Co., so Mr. Gatsby1's claims are somewhat fallacious.
If you want to get mean about it, the current system governing France hasn't even gotten to 50 years of age yet, with the Fifth Republic being instituted by President Charles de Galle in 1958.
My interest remains 'officially piqued' at whatever reforms that President Sarkozy may or may not make while he is at the helm of the Fifth Republic. I hope our nation and theirs are able to cooperate on questions of economy and security to a higher degree than was previously possible with the government of Mr. Chirac. Perhaps we can talk them into giving us some pointers on operating a high-speed rail network?
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UPDATE: After another bowl of cereal and reflection, one of Mr. Sarkozy's crimes per Mr. Will is as followsL "Sarkozy has, however, said, "I don't wake up every morning asking what Hayek or Adam Smith would have done.""
As I said before, the horror. Asking what Adam Smith would have done could be almost as maddening as asking what would Jesus do, only with less guidance. Not asking what Hayek would have done is, well, something that commends Mr. Sarkozy to me.
Posted by Country Pundit at August 26, 2007 09:07 AM