Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran

by oldfrog Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 09:12:32 AM EST

France's Sarkozy Says Wouldn't Back Military Strike On Iran

PARIS (AP)--French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday he wouldn't join up with the U.S. if it decided to carry out military action against Iran.
........
He said he approved U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program "and has seen that they are working."
"The municipal elections were a failure for the Iranian president," Sarkozy told RMC radio. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suffered a setback in December's municipal elections.
.......
"When you see what's happening in Iraq..." he said, trailing off. France was a leading opponent of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Sarkozy said U.S. hints that it hadn't ruled out military action in Iran were "useless posturing."

Story here

well at least he can't be accused of being a poodle... so far

Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran | 34 comments (34 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran (none / 0)

Well, if he can be trusted at his word, that is good news...

"Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia

by whataboutbob on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 09:29:37 AM EST

Re: Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran (4.00 / 4)

Hang on...was this the same RMC interview where Sarko gave us this gem (article at Le nouvel observateur)?

Le journaliste de RMC, Jean-Jacques Bourdin, lui a demandé si les combattants d'Al-Qaïda étaient sunnites ou chiites. "Il est impossible d'y répondre (...) parce qu'Al-Qaïda, c'est une nébuleuse", a rétorqué Nicolas Sarkozy.
...
"On ne peut pas qualifier Al-Qaïda comme ça", a-t-il insisté. "Je vais d'ailleurs vous donner un exemple : le GSPC algérien a rejoint Al-Qaïda il y a quatre ans à peine. On ne peut pas réduire Al-Qaïda à un problème sunnites-chiites."

The RMC journalist, Jean-Jacques Bourdin, asked him whether the combatants of Al-Qaeda were Sunnis or Shias. "It's impossible to answer that (...) because Al-Qaeda, it's a nebula", retorted Nicolas Sarkozy.
...
"One cannot qualify Al-Qaeda like that," he insisted. "Moreover, I'll give you an example: the Algerian GSPC joined Al-Qaeda barely four years ago. One cannot reduce Al-Qaeda to a problem of Sunnis and Shiites."

The correct answer, of course, is that Al-Qaeda is Sunni (as is the GSPC).
(Apologies for my crappy French translation.)

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 10:10:29 AM EST

Re: Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran (none / 1)

Gah...

I'm sorry, but that's just too stupid for words.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:39:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran (4.00 / 3)

I did an edit on the link that was making the story too wide.

I (and Jérôme too) have said (to some people's surprise) that we don't expect Sarkozy to behave like a fully-fledged neo-con. Otherwise, as Nordic Storm points out, he can't be trusted to have much of an informed point of view on foreign policy. But it (strangely enough) doesn't count as a failing or lack of the necessary "level". That only happens if the candidate is a woman.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 01:05:34 PM EST

Nah (4.00 / 2)

That only happens if the candidate is a woman.

A woman, AND a socialist. Angela Merkel is not subjected to as much parsing of her words. (Some, but not as much). Being a continental (European) does not help either. Nor not being a native English speaker.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 04:49:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

A woman, OR a socialist. Segolene gets attacked on both counts.

By the way, have you noticed how Sarkozy is Sarkozy and Royal is Segolene?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 04:55:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sarko and Sego (4.00 / 2)

The French love two-syllable words ending in "o". Ségo and Sarko join the ranks of metro, boulot, dodo, coco, facho, ecolo, sado, maso, reglo, anglo, franco, pseudo, mao, dodo.

It's just irrestible with these two names, and I don't think you should see more in the use of Ségo(lène) than this.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 06:04:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sarko and Sego (4.00 / 2)

Well, actually,nall through my school years I observed that boys were generally referred to by surname and girls by name. I never figured out where that came from, but I took it as a subtle indicator of sexism.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 06:10:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sarko and Sego (none / 1)

It was quite common when we had conscription to call people you knew well (but not intimately) by their names, as if they were surnames. In many jobs it's still like that, even using the "tu" thing !

I agree with Jerome for the "Sego and Sarko" short style !

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 06:15:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sarko and Sego (none / 1)

I'd much prefer to be called by my first name.

I suppose it is sexist in that the last name connotes the formal and professional and the first name connotes the informal and personal. It may also just have to do with the fact that women often take different last names when they marry, so for consistency's sake... And we "get" our last names from fathers and husbands. So it's not like they are illustrative of our independence.

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

by p------- on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 06:28:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sarko and Sego (none / 1)

I always preferred to be called by me first name, and women in Spain don't take their husbands' names.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Feb 27th, 2007 at 03:13:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sarko and Sego (4.00 / 2)

Disagree.

How often is SR simply called "Royal" ?

How often is Sarkozy referred to as "Nicolas" ?

How often have we heard "Nico and Ségo" ?

There's an infantilising and patronising tendency in all this - to some extent.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Feb 27th, 2007 at 01:32:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

You have a point (none / 1)

Nico coumld have been used - but it is not as distinguishable. I think that Ségolène, being quite rare, is a nice identifier.

I expect my youngest kids to be identified by their first names later in their lifes, rather than their family names...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Feb 27th, 2007 at 09:18:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

Also, Royal is a word with an actual meaning besides being Segolène Royal's surname. When referring to people media will often use only the surname, and in this case can lead to confusion.

Indeed, calling her partisan "Royalist" (= monarchists) is impossible...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 06:50:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

I think it is her unabashed femininity too. Tarja Halonen doesn't get this kind of scrutiny, right?

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

by p------- on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 04:56:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

Tarja does not. But then our Tarja operates in an entirely different environment. We Finns do not like super-heroes. We do not trust super-heroes, because we know they cannot be real. We like straight-talkers with foibles. We like people - mensch.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:07:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

If you have followed the sexcapades of our recently divorced PM Matti Vanhanen, and the book his ex-lover recently published, then you would realise that the most successful Finnish politician is smarter, more thick-skinned, more dedicated and more uptight than the average Joe, but not by much.

It's really a decription of an above-average manager.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:14:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

"We do not trust super-heroes, because we know they cannot be real."

But trolls, you believe in them, right? ;)

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

by p------- on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:14:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

Only if they're cute.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:18:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

These are cute? Migu, you still don't understand lesbiansim ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:25:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

What? Is Tove Jansson a lesbian?

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:27:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

Was, was...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:27:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

I couldn't care less what her proclivities were. It's irrelevant.

Good writing comes out of personal conflict and a willingness to go where the path leads.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:32:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

Hey... I've been raised on Moomin's (I used to cut and collect the strip in the daily newspaper I learned english with it (it was translated then in english)...
Wow... That's a sudden time trap ! :-)

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:27:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

It is a darker world than you might imagine ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:28:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

Very true... Specially that I always thought they were Hippos !
I thought the Trolls were all those little gnomes running on the island ...

I must have been almost 25 when I discovered with awe that the Mommin Maiden was a Troll... (What a shock) !

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:33:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

I have lived this same life out in the archipelago during the summer. You are out on an island for two months in the Baltic, like Robinson Crusoe, with nothing to do but ponder, look at the sea and sauna. Every three days you take a boat and go to the nearest island to shop for supplies - especially crates of red wine.

Sometimes friends drop by unexpectedly and you party. Sometimes it rains. Sometimes the mosquitoes are intolerable. Every night you light a bonfire and stare into the flames. You read a lot of books, especially in a little hut where you crap and there are even more mosquitoes - and possibly snakes.

It is the best time a human being can have...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:45:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

Er... We might be trolling this diary ! Why wouldn't you make one on the Moomin's background (the islands) ,

For several winters I nearly went there from Leningrad, but never found the time (Rabot, rabot)!

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:56:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

Don't quote me on this, but I think the comic strips were actually originally written in English, for the London Evening News or somesuch.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:32:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

It must have been in the" Statesman" of India... Baap Arhee bab ! (loud sigh)

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:34:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

In Finnish-Swedish originally, I think - but like you said, 'don't quote me'

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:35:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

But do they support Sarkozy or Royal?

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:52:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (none / 1)

Poof! Of course not! Trolls are simply you with a 180 degree phase reversal.

Come and live in Finland, and see if it doesn't satisfy your inner trek to find something sensible between capitalism and communism.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:23:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Nah (4.00 / 2)

I would have thought it was the Levorotation (lévogyre in french) part that did the Troll... :-)

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Mon Feb 26th, 2007 at 05:38:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sarko won't back up the bushies on Iran | 34 comments (34 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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