Citizens in the USA agonized, some ten years or so ago, whether Hillary would 'dump' Bill Clinton for his peccadillo with sweet young (and chubby) Monica Lewinski.
Citizens of France don't have to suffer through two or more years of similar, nauseating media decadence, as they are now in the know about last week's divorce: anticipated, rumoured and officially ignored. News reports ended the months of speculation and the hot rumours of the last two weeks, and that silence from Martignon, the seat of the French Government.
But this refreshing silence left questions unanswered in its wake, a phenomenon quasi-unacceptable to anyone in the States. Imagine what could have happened in the USA, if Bill Clinton's private life, private affairs, and private marital status had been treated as that.
We know that Cécélia had a lover, but we don't know what they share today; we know nothing about Nicholas' lover(s), if he were to have them or if he is truly, as is his image, 'married' to his job.
We are also aware that the Sarkozy-media alliance is as strong if not stronger than that which ties the US mainstream media (MSM) to the Bush family. The reconciliation of Monsieur and Madame Sarkozy certainly lasted long enough for him to campaign and win the presidency over another perfectly French couple, that of former Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal, and her long-time companion François Holland.
But past events in France, including the long-awaited liberation of the Bulgarian nurses (and one doctor) held in Libya for nearly five years or more, were achieved by the French Presidential Couple. Indeed, it was Cécilia, whose private interview with Libyan leader Khadafi had apparently broken the impasse and allowed their remittance into Bulgarian custody (Where they were prompty granted pardons).
Two recent media events were rather amusing to the French audiences that witnessed them, and at ZEN Central the overwhelming decision was to pass their substance to you.
More directly, President Sarkozy was interviewed, while on a visit to Portugal for the summit reunion for the purpose of approving the new European Union Treaty. Questions about his divorce diverted attention from this event, that reversed the great failure under former French president Jacques Chirac, whose support of the attempted EU Constitution, demonstrated his impotence by failing to bring the French population to support it, as also occurred in the Netherlands, in the summer of 2006.
Sarkozy's scathing response to a question or series of questions by a reporter from Le Monde, was icy-cold and denigrating, responding ad hoc that he'd presumed that questions would concern the treaty, that a paper as prestigious as Le Monde was demonstrating a curious lack of professionalism, that his position, voted into the Presidency of France, meant that he should work, and work more, and do more for the people of France, who he considered had mandated that alone, and were very little concerned with his private life. “Once bitten twice shy,” and no other reporter asked him about that during the televised conference.
The second event was truly French. On the encoded channel 'Canal Plus' (Similar to a US 'HBO' or 'Showtime', although available outside of cable networks from the purchase of a decoder), the evening news ends with a series known as 'Les Guignols' (the Puppets), which has the satiric farcical nature found in a combination of the US shows 'Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update' or the Daily Show with John Stewart. Their selection of skits skewers everyone without exception.
So Friday evening, ZEN Central tuned in specifically to see whatever coverage they may have of the divorce, and there were two elements of note.
A marionnette representing Cécilia Sarkozy was asked by the News-Anchor puppet, to please at last provide more details to the burning questions regarding how her visit to Khaddafi had turned the momentum towards that famous release of prisoners.
“Her” reply was priceless, describing in soft yet breathless detail how her trip proceeded. Minute attention offered insights that all the world awaited. How she wore a light cream Givenchy traveling ensemble in the plane, and her Louis Vuitton luggage was properly identified and moved into the official car, which brought her to her five-star hotel suite, where she could bath in a Christian Dior relaxation bubble bath. Afterwards, her Christian Lacroix pant-suit was perfect for the hot desert climate, and she... you get the picture? ;-)
Another skit revealed how a waiter was treated by the press for his refusal to answer questions about the meal served to Nicholas S., and the tone of the questions mimicked how France was uninformed about the Presidential divorce – only in France, could the comic information exceed the official information.
This all brings to light, that the Sarkozy presidency is, as much as the Bush presidency will be looked on historically, a smoke-and-mirrors relationship with the press, who've helped Monsieur le President at each step of the 'glorious' path he climbed, over the wreckage of rival UDP candidates such as former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, now under investigation for his involvement in the Clearstream scandal, as well as the media-beaten candidate Ségolène Royal, who had captured ZENattention in the late spring of 2007.
“Céciliaaaaaaaah, tu m'as brisé le coeur – t'as secoué ma confiance quotadiennement...”
(apologies to Paul Simon...)
The actual divorce was apparently filed and decided within a 24 to 48 hour period, apparently with super-secret advance notice, zero leaks to the press and a predetermined decree. This countered speculation in certain quarters that if Nicholas didn't want the divorce, a newly-enacted French law (designed to protect outgoing President Chirac for various 'investigations' now underway) offered immunity from any civil suit, which could have included a unilateral action for divorce by Cécilia.
As it stands, apparently the couple agreed enough on their status to make the suffering and impact on the Presidency their higher concern, and a swift change of status makes the only story that of the NON-story of the Sarkozy marital discords.
Congratulations to France, for its ability to ignore sexual sideshow political smears, such as were sustained on a multi-year basis by the American Republican party, a shameful action for impeachment that created the stained, strained relationships that dominate Washington, DC, to this day.
Vive la FRANCE...
Courage, les divorcé(e)s
ç*””*”*”*ç*””* ZENmud *””*ç*”*”*””*ç
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