French Furious At Sarkozy’s American Vacation
Holidays are not all about relaxation. President Sarkozy has turned his summer break into a political statement by becoming the first democratically elected French President known to have taken his main annual holiday in America.
His visit to the country that France loves to hate provoked furious re- actions in Paris and amazement in Wolfeboro, the chic New Hampshire town where he is expected to spend the next … two weeks.
Mr Sarkozy, 52, arrived with Cécilia, 53, his wife, and their ten-year-old son, Louis, on Thursday, signalling his intent to renew Franco-American relations.
The presidential family is reported to have rented a 13,200 sq ft mansion with a spa, home cinema, video games room, a private beach and moorings for four boats on Lake Winnipesaukee — for $30,000 a week (£15,000).
The house, said to belong to Mike Appe, a former Microsoft executive, is two hours’ drive from President Bush’s seaside home in Kennebunkport, Maine, prompting speculation that the two men may meet.
As he flew off for his holidays Mr Sarkozy left behind a growing row in France over the price that he had paid to secure the liberation of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor held for eight years in a Libyan jail.
Critics have denounced a deal with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, which they say included a ¤296 million (£200 million) weapons contract and a nuclear reactor in return for the release of the medical workers.
The revelation that Sarko l’Américain, as he is known, was planning a stay in the US provoked a fresh barrage of criticism from his opponents on internet chat forums. They said that it was further proof that he would ditch the anti-American line which led his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, to stay out of the war in Iraq.
“It would be nice if they could keep the megalomaniac,” said one internet user. “Where else would little Bush chose to spend his summer holidays except in a millionaire’s palace near his big brother?” said another.
Dominique Moisi, a member of the French Institute of International Relations, said that the holiday illustrated Mr Sarkozy’s determination to break with Gallic tradition.
“There is this desire for independence as if he is saying, ‘It’s me who decides, with me things won’t be like they were before, I’m a free man’.” The centre-right President is seeking to convince his leisure-loving compatriots to adopt America’s penchant for hard work and wealth creation.
In Wolfeboro, where the actress Drew Barrymore has a summer residence, locals expressed a warm welcome for Mr Sarkozy while hoping that his presence would not disrupt the town fair this weekend.
“If he has a covert meeting going on nobody’s going to pay attention to the fair,” said Katrina Lindland, who was helping to prepare for the event. Russ MacCable, another organiser, said that Mr Sarkozy was described as “very pro-American . . . I’m not sure what that means.”
Mr Sarkozy provoked a row in France by taking a holiday on a yacht off Malta after his election in May, so his aides tried to keep his latest destination secret. US security services were also coy, saying that he was visiting North America. Wolfeboro gave the game away by putting “Welcome Nicolas Sarkozy” on the town website.
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Nice area to vaca in. Now they need to get him to have a Moxie. I wish I was back at my parent’s place in Maine now just reading this story. Lucky fucker.
All of the froggy bitching is just the socialists who didn’t vote for him anyway being bitter about someone who wants them to actually work for a living, oh the horror.
Welcome to the frog prez.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:40 pmFinally–a Frenchman who gets it. One down, 63 million cheese-eating surrender monkeys to go.
BTW–Wolfeboro is a nice place right on the lake. Too bad so many Massholes clog up the highways getting there.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:08 pmI live right up the street about 20 mins away. Maybe I should ask for a visit. It’s not every day you could meet a president.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:52 pmwell, it doesn’t bother me ; we are in use that the lefty medias criticise whatever a right wing politician do, say, or think
well, if I had had the money available, I would not have chosen the same place for holidays though, but Sarko is a mediatic animal, he doesn’t make things only for the french hexagone, his political goal is world wide and surely his staying in US is part of his agenda ; so far I am not disapointed by him, I find even him kind of clever guy, free from rumor and from the “qu’en dira-t’on” ; hope his way of renewing with leaders who count in each part of the world will make things move towards a peace revolution with countries that are on the actualities fire.
what he did with the “evil Khadafi” is a deal, as a political and business man ; the nuclear reactor is assorted with a 20 years maintenance contract, that means only french technicians will have access to the reactor ; and the selling of weapons, is a tiny part of the cake comparing what the US are selling right now to Saoudi Arabia and Egypt ; Tony Blair did already the same trip, and Condi is going to visit Lybia too
Randy, the surrender monkeys tell “MERDE” to a burger-eating bigoted monkey
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:31 pmBWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:01 pmDon’t complain about Massachusetts tourists, Maine. If you hate vacationers so much you might want to change the slogan on your license plates to not say “Vactionland”
Now why would the French people be upset over this? There is no rational reason to be. Yeah, so, he’s taking a vacation to America. Millions of people do it every year.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:53 pmWouldn’t it be something if this guy could get the commies, I mean Frenchies to pull thier collective heads out of thier collective asses and reqain the honor they seem to have misplaced in the last half century. We could use another Charles “THE HAMMER” Martell in this century of warfare against the islamists but the French have got to kick ass on the arabs burning cars in thier own capital before I’ll have much hope of that happening.
August 4th, 2007 at 12:30 amRVN68MIKE,
one’s shonor is not the same everywhere in the whole planet though ; circonstances make it different ; here and in many parts of the globe, according to the “pew” results our “honor” is OK, seems it’s not the case for your leaders though !
your wrong about our “surburbs riots” : they were not islamist revolts, but mostly economical revendications ; our arab population isn’t that much religious and practicing ; in a few years this problem will be resolved ; a big part of our baby-boomers are going in retirment, and there will be lots of jobs available ; yeah, there are still a percentage of the rioters who will stay a trash, but the same percentage exists in every population ; and what about your cities surburbs ? I bet they are less safe than ours.
Sarko wants mostly get rid of the 1968 lefty attitude, and I think he will manage it, for every polls show that less and less persons want to refer that old fashion way of reading history.
A. S. Wise- VA
PROUT
August 4th, 2007 at 4:22 amNice place to visit. He should try Cape Cod on his next visit when the tourists are gone. I’ll say one thing for
August 4th, 2007 at 5:52 amMr Sarkozy…he has good taste.
France, mon dieu, where the hell you been? Told you I only had two years of high school French and I slept through the second. What the hell does “qu’en dira-t’on” mean? At least provide a picture, well, better yet, just tell me, I don’t know if I want a picture until I find out what it means. Might mean dead snails. As long as your President doesn’t get crazy and make a side trip to Quebec he should have a nice vacation. A lot of French wannabe rabies up there. BTW, come on, you can say it, north african muslims, north african muslims, come on, you can do, north african muslims. There see, it didn’t hurt. Didn’t explode.
August 4th, 2007 at 8:23 am“qu’en-dira-t’on” is an expression meaning what would the people say behind your back ; hehe, I can’t see dead snails “à la bourguignonne” around ; I am sure Sarko won’t go to Quebec and say “Vive le Quebec libre”, that was 40 years ago with de Gaulle
yeah, I know, lots of Frenchs goes to the States, eheh, your dollar is so cheap
!
north african muslims, did I make it right ?
here we don’t call them muslims but rather Arabs
did I already tell you that I like the way you write, I find it rather untertaining
August 4th, 2007 at 9:32 amFrance, currencies, they’re always in a state of flux, up one day, down the next. Tell your President not to care what they call him behind his back, just don’t call him late for dejeuner. Did I do that right, dejeuner/dinner?
August 4th, 2007 at 10:26 amjust don’t call him late for dejeuner/dîner
juste ne l’appelles pas tard à déjeuner (lunch)
ou à dîner (supper dinner),
I am too villan for having him at my table
August 4th, 2007 at 10:49 amMonsieur Sarkozy,
I’d welcome you on over to the Midwest for steaks and your favorite beverage. Hope your wife appreciates knitting as my wife does. Have your son bring his own X-box because I don’t have much video entertainment in that form. If you like, I’ll run to the library and checkout a good John Wayne, or if you like we’ll just reminisce and watch “The Longest Day” after dinner.
Sincerely,
The Squire
August 4th, 2007 at 11:04 ama Tbone steak, that sound nice
you can prepare beer, the german one, 
cause yours has no taste, or vodka 
Cecilia doesn’t like women artefacts, may-be if you have a nice horse she would make a ride ;
instead of “the longuest day” try to get the video of “the days of glory”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-04-01-german-jews_N.htm
hope you will not have too much difficulties to get all that stuff
August 4th, 2007 at 12:58 pmsorry, wrong link :
http://tadrart.com/tessalit/indigenes/movie_gb.html
August 4th, 2007 at 12:59 pmWolfeboro? Not a bad choice at all. I miss NH
I really hope this is just the tip of the iceberg of a new direction in the French-American relationship.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:39 pmFrenchy:
“one’s shonor is not the same everywhere in the whole planet though ; circonstances make it different ; here and in many parts of the globe, according to the “pew” results our “honor” is OK, seems it’s not the case for your leaders though !”
Before you can talk about honor, Frenchy you need to have some. You got none. Keep your poll. We don’t care.
What makes the US stand apart from you liberal lefties in Europe is that we aren’t afraid to fight this war. And we here in the US could care less what the French or anyone else says about us.
It is interesting that European governments are putting more conservatives in power. France. Belgum, Germany the Czech Republic, Poland…..
The reason is clear. The United States is the example that governments continue to follow. You people dislike us, but we don’t care. The UN talks shit about us, but we don’t care. We lead, every other government follows or they get out of our way. Or they go crying to the UN and we laugh at them.
And most of the trash talking comming out of Europe is because you Europeans are too soft; too lazy. That is what makes you people such easy pickings for AQ.
You Europeans have spent way too much time turning the GWOT into a police action, or in the case of France…non action.
The exception being the contingent of French forces in Afghanistan. Big whoop.
If Muslims rioted in our streets and burned cars, we’d kick their asses, arrest their leaders and crush them.
Maybe the new President of France will be different. Hopefully, the next time that Muslims riot he sends in the French Army and then would say Viva la France.
But not until then.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:45 pmChouchou, take some fresh air, your worry me , always ruminating about the same old refrain
August 5th, 2007 at 1:59 amChouchou, wasn’t that a POS machine gun de francaise from WWI? Dan has a good point about the moors once again taking over Europe. I have a hard time sympathizing with someone who will not fight for himself and I see Europe as a bunch of handwringers, so concerned about offending people who HATE them with a passion and pray to God that the people who mistakenly invited them into their country DIE by the sword or convert by it. I am fighting the urge to write Europe off as a lost cause, fighting the urge to turn my back and say they deserve it. Probably because there are still people there that don’t deserve it. I am sure that there have to be some people in Normandy let’s say, that have something of an appreciation for us and don’t buy into the radical BS about us being imperialists and (insert leftist propaganda here) or whatever the latest epithet is. Like it or not Europe, we are saving your ass, again.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:51 am