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French intellectuals abandoning Royal
By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press WriterFri Feb 9, 4:17 AM ET
One by one, several French writers and intellectuals are making the startling confessions. After decades as committed leftists, they are defecting to the right many saying they've lost faith in Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal.
With just 10 weeks to go until the election's first round, Royal still has no platform. She has made gaffes on international affairs, and her popularity with intellectuals and ordinary voters alike has slipped, leaving conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy at the top of the polls.
Royal, 53, will take a big gamble Sunday in unveiling, at last, some of her plans for France in a platform speech that will be judged by especially tough standards because she has waited so long to make it.
Until now Royal has been in a "listening phase" of her campaign, collecting ideas during debates and on her Internet site, where people post 2,500 messages a day. That strategy has given her an image as a rare French politician in touch with the problems of ordinary people.
But it has also left many wondering whether the former environment minister's listening is a cover-up for a lack of concrete ideas. And it disappointed some early supporters who put their faith in Royal to reclaim the presidency from the right after 12 years under Jacques Chirac and who want to see France elect Royal as its first woman president.
Recently, some of the most stinging blows have come from people who seemed like Royal's likeliest champions.
Roger Hanin, an actor and author, came out in favor of Sarkozy this week surprising because Hanin is the brother-in-law of late Socialist President Francois Mitterrand, Royal's mentor. Though Hanin said he still "worships" Mitterrand, he doesn't trust Royal.
Royal "scares me because she's not cut out for this, she doesn't have the qualifications to be president of the Republic," Hanin told Europe-1 radio. "When you love your country, that's scary."...
