By Andrew L. Jaffee

French President Jacques Chirac, friend of Saddam Hussein, who presided over the oil-for-food debacle, who put his own popularity and French “pride” over dozens of national and international issues which deserved serious consideration — I don’t trust anything he does or says. I do believe that France’s interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, is the best hope to tackle France’s immigration, economic, and social problems. So what the heck is Chirac doing endorsing Sarkozy’s bid to be the next president of the republic?

Chirac is sleazy, but not stupid: He’s realized that his “45-year career … was strong on symbolic gestures but short on concrete reforms.” Chirac knows that years of French emphasis on pseudo-socialism have damaged the country’s economy and social fabric, vis-à-vis the 35-hour work week and unbridled immigration, for example. (On the OECD rankings for “Ease of Doing Business,” France ranks a mere 44th out of 155 countries.) Jacques doesn’t want to be remembered as going out on the wrong side of history. Sarkozy is the man to turn France back from the precipice. Will French voters agree?

Many French oppose the reforms Sarkozy would implement if made president, instead hoping for lifetime, guaranteed employment and believing (wishing) there are no immigration problems. Without Sarkozy, France will remain a 3rd-rate Western power — contraire à la croyance des parisiens hautains. Let’s hope enough French have the guts to look to the future and take off their rose-colored glasses.

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Related: Europe, Economy, Immigration, Pure Politics

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