Below The Beltway

French President Sarkozy received a warm welcome during a joint session of Congress:
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 —President Nicolas Sarkozy of France was greeted with cheers and standing ovations in the United States Congress today, a sign that France was forgiven for opposing the American-led war in Iraq.
In a speech to a joint meeting of Congress — […]

Today is the 218th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, and the official mark of the overthrow of the French Monarchy. So, a Happy Bastille Day !
And here’s one of my favorite renditions of La Marseillaise, the French National Anthem. It’s from Casablanca, and it depicts a group of French patriots standing up to […]

Nicolas Sakozy was elected President of France today, and it could have interesting implications for Franco-American relations:
PARIS, May 6 — Nicolas Sarkozy, the hard-charging former interior minister who vowed a “rupture” with the past, was elected president of France on Sunday by voters demanding sweeping changes to revitalize the economy and staunch a sense of […]

Apparently, the French like themselves even less than we do:
PARIS (Reuters) - The French dislike themselves even more than the Americans dislike them, according to an opinion poll published on Friday.
The survey of six nations, carried out for the International Herald Tribune daily and France 24 TV station, said 44 percent of French people thought […]

Back in August, I noted the controversy in France over paparazzi photos of Socialist politician S?gol?ne Royal in a bikini on the French Riveria. Now, it appears that Royal’s fellow Socialists have decided that sex sells:
PARIS, Nov. 17 — Riding a wave of popular disgust with France’s political status quo, S?gol?ne Royal on Thursday used […]

Whatever credibility France might have had as a serious player in world affairs is slowly dwindling away. Now, the French may be on the verge of destroying the very Middle East peace plan they helped put forward:
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 — France has rebuffed U.N. pleas to make a major contribution to a peacekeeping mission […]

French President Jacques Chirac addressed the French people last night and attributed the riots that have shaken his country for the past three weeks to discrimination and malaise.
PARIS, Nov. 14 — France must fight the “poison of discrimination” by hiring more minorities and integrating them into French society, President Jacques Chirac said Monday in his […]

As the violence in France entered its 18th night, the political consequences of the worst rioting to hit France in 40 years begin to make themselves apparent.
PARIS, Nov. 13 — The violence in France’s poor suburban communities persisted in the south Sunday, with attackers ramming burning cars into a retirement home and a school in […]

The American media has gone back to ignoring the story, but the riots in France have continued nonetheless.
PARIS, Nov. 12 — Dozens of youths threw trash cans at police and attacked sidewalk shops in a main square of Lyon on Saturday night in the first clash between rioters and police in a city center after […]

The riots throughout France have continued into their 12th night and the government of France is at least talking about cracking down.
PARIS, Nov. 7 — In a television address to the nation Monday night, France’s prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, announced his government’s new plan to curb riots that have spread to 300 French towns […]