France divided as Sarkozy woos US

[Gunny]

By Hugh Schofield
Paris

That Nicolas Sarkozy is France's most pro-American president in generations - in fact, come to think of it, ever - there is no reason to argue over.
It is the one point on which both he and his enemies would agree.

A man who declared his intention on going to Washington of "reconquering the heart of America" - and who in his speech to Congress cited Elvis Presley, Charlton Heston and Neil Armstrong as his heroes - is clearly not lukewarm about "les Etats-Unis".

The question is what it all signifies.

For supporters, Mr Sarkozy is quite properly correcting a historic imbalance in French-US relations - bringing to an end the knee-jerk hostility of his predecessors, both Gaullist and Socialist.

But for his critics, the president's admiration for America is a dangerous obsession.

They see France abandoning its duty to provide the world with an alternative conception of power, as their besotted leader realigns foreign policy behind the dreaded George W.

more ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7085099.stm

Got to love it. Criticize the US anytime it takes any action outside the US but they see it as their "duty" to provide the world with an "alternative conception of power."

France's biggest problem with the US is we keep interfering with their neo--colonialism.