C'est Sarko!

The French have chosen and the result is 53% for Nicolas Sarkozy and 47% for Ségolène Royal. They voted in droves, at a seldom seen participation rate of 85%. The difference between the two candidates of 6 percentage points is at least wider than the margin Bush used to squeeze into the presidency – twice. Still, like the Americans, the French will soon come to regret their choice. Once, a long long time ago, the voting Americans voted 50-50 for Bush. The popularity of the liar-in-chief has now plummeted to 28% and no doubt will be plummeting further to reach the depths of his brother-in-arms Ehud Olmert.

Would Ségo have been a better choice? Yes, for France's economy. Sarkozy will push the economy further into crisis with his Thatcherite medicine. Yes, for social peace. Sarkozy will charge ahead like a bull, antagonizing all immigrants – although he himself is the son of one – and lead France to the breaking point. Yes, violence will erupt, although it was probably not very clever for Ségo to predict it would...

As already mentioned, the world at large was conspicuously absent from the debate between Sarko and Ségo. Ségo put too much water in her (French) wine to please the centrist voters, taking an even more hawkish stand on Iran for example than Sarkozy. But while Sarkozy is likely to follow Bush's lead and possibly draw France into a war with Iran, Ségo – despite her rhetoric – would probably have retreated at the last moment, realizing that a Left-wing president couldn't stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the evil American Empire. While Sarko declared that “France will always be next to them [his American friends] when they need us”.

Now the gloves are off. What is Sarkozy going to change? One conservative president (Chirac) substituted for another (Sarkozy)? There will be no change, apart from the fact that Chirac stood up to Bush, while Sarkozy won't. Sarkozy, far from giving France back its pride, will lead the country along a ruinous path.

No, the voters are not always right. Just ask the Americans.

(CNN: Sarkozy: I have mandate for change); (France 24: Nicolas Sarkozy élu président de la République); (The Guardian: A sharp right turn); (The Independent: M. Sarkozy – a divisive force whose task is to unite).