French Election: It's Sarkozy and Royal

I can't vouch for its reliability, (I'm not inclined to put much faith in anything that uses the words "world" and "socialist" in its title) but this article from the World Socialist Website attempts to put some perspective into the results from yesterday's first round contest that are at least plausible. What I know from other sources, (been following as closely as the scrolls on CNN and FOX would allow) is adhered to in this account. The high turnout (wow - 85%!) and the general descriptions of the two winners are what I've been reading all along. It is an interesting article...
The author doesn't much like the term "extreme left," seeming to find "radical" the more desirable term. Maybe it's in the translation?

While the radicals are running after Royal, Royal is running after Sarkozy. This was the case during the campaign preceding the first round, when Royal tried to prove that she is as nationalistic and devoted to law and order as her right-wing opponent. And it was the case in the night after the election.
Sarkozy, who is aware that he might loose the election if he is seen as too much of a polarizing figure, paid respect to his adversary and called for a “dignified” campaign and a “debate on ideas,” while at the same time insisting that he and Royal represented two diametrically opposited perspectives.

Maybe it's time for the French to have the role the press can play in a national conscience revealed to them. It appears from this distance that the French press generally is much more open about their left-leaning political position than their American counters are. Could it be time for the folks to experience a shift to the right? The government bureaucracy that Chirac et al leave behind probably be as difficult to get along with for Sarkozy as the American Government was for Reagan, and is for Bush, so it's silly to expect any radical departures in policies. But it could be interesting to see the reaction to a "fascist" (his propaganda label - what a surprise! how original!) who turns out to be a decent guy and capable leader! If Sarkozy were to win, which may be likely, and if the French press is as childish as their American counters are, he should expect quite the vicious backlash indeed...

This time, the radical left made it clear from the beginning that they favoured a victory of Royal and regarded their own campaigns only as a means of pressuring the Socialist Party candidate to the left. Discussions on a “useful vote”—i.e. voting for the candidate most likely to defeat Sarkozy in the second round—dominated the public debate in the last days before the election.

Of course, maybe Sarkozy IS Mussolini - how would I know - but the American opposition to Reagan had us wondering if he wasn't determined to put mushroom clouds over every city in the western world! After the VietNam debacle brought on by Harvard "whizkids" (Johnson) and "what's-a-constitution" criminals (Nixon) and "if-only-we-tried-to-understand" coddlers (Carter) -- America was indeed ready for Reagan...I hope France gets that for which she seems to be ready.
America could afford to sleep through her socialist Clinton years. As much as I'd love to see a woman president, we can't afford another head-in-the-sand nap. That, unfortunately, is where (I think) France has been for too long.
F E 2007 has been a delightful help through this unfamiliar terrain for me, and though he'll be around at least till May 6th for the final tally, I'll go ahead and say "Magnifique! merci beaucoup!" (which is my French vocabulary in it's entirety)