No matter how cold it is, cyclists are out en masse in the Bois du Boulogne, Paris. French President Nicolas Sarkozy often jogs here.
Update Jan. 8: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has told reporters in Paris that his relationship with Carla Bruni is "serious," but declined to reveal wedding plans. He said there was a "strong chance" the media would learn about a wedding only after the fact.
The French capital is abuzz with talk about their "bling-bling" president seeking the limelight. After his wife Cecilia divorced him in October, the 52-year-old president immediately set about shoring up his wounded ego by dating various attractive women. In the last few weeks, Nicolas Sarkozy has made a public spectacle of his relationship with the Italian former model turned singer Carla Bruni, 39. The couple has encouraged photographs at Disneyland Paris, various holiday spots in Egypt and now at Petra, Jordan. Ironically, Sarkozy's former wife once fled to Jordan with the man for whom she left Sarkozy. The Sarkozys reconciled prior to the French presidential election.
Inviting media attention to his personal life is in stark contrast to Sarkozy's previous behaviour, when he sued Paris Match and some newspapers for publishing photos of his wife Cecilia and reporting that she didn't bother to vote in the final round of the presidential election.
Several French publications are rife with speculation that Sarkozy and Bruni will marry. Le Journal du Dimanche, owned by one of Sarkozy's closest friends, announced on its front page that the couple would marry on February 8 or 9 - barely three months after they first met. This is too much for a nation that traditionally exercises discretion, when it comes to private life.
Sarkozy's "in your face" presidency has angered many of his supporters. Some Parisiennes suspect that the Sarkozy-Bruni courtship has been little more than a mutually-beneficial publicity stunt, designed to detract attention from unpopular issues, such as the Paris visit of Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi. The publicity also may have contributed to increased sales of Bruni's new album. Critics wonder why Bruni, who publicly supported Sarkozy's Socialist political rival Segolene Royal, would spend time with such a right-wing politician. Yet Bruni's mother has been quoted in the Italian press as having given permission for Sarkozy to marry her daughter. The Elysée Palace has declined comment.
je n'ai pas voté pour Nicolas Sarkozi, mais il est faux de dire qu'il est de l'extrême droite. Cela revient à minimiser les abjects partis d'extrèmes droites que nous avons en France. Il a certes chassé sur les mêmes plate-bandes, mais c'est bien plus par idéologies publicitaires que par convictions politiques.
Posted by: patricia | 06 February 2008 at 21:42
Rick would be in seventh heaven here -- pedaling his bike faster than I could imagine and joining these French fellows! I must make sure he sees the picture!
We are hearing about your president over here, too. Not sure about how all the mechanics of politics differ from here to there, but one thing is the same -- tremendous media interest about leaders and their "consorts!"
Posted by: Jeanie | 13 January 2008 at 17:23
interesting post . I agree with Marie Nöelle ...This conference was ridiculous
Posted by: le petit cabinet de curiosites | 10 January 2008 at 17:39
This is the point, Tara... I agree with you. I'm not bothered about our President's private life, should he be in love with a singer, a model, a common woman, a man, a queen, ... or whoever...
All I keep on mind is that he 's got rid of the tax on fortune (ISF) while he's about to make people with low revenues pay the tax on television (most old people with a low pension will have to pay 120 euros a year to watch their tv...).
He is preparing new "adjustments" to make us work longer a week whereas he announced extra hours would be paid more. If extra hours become ordinary hours, they won't be paid...
He promised to increase our purchase power... things are going worse... and now he announces the coffers of the state are empty... and he cannot do anything about it...
They were NOT empty when he increased his own revenues as president last october. They were x 140% - from 7,000 to 19,000 euros a month - mentioning other heads were better paid than him : in Germany, USA, ...
Honestly, Tara, people don't care about his love, whatever its length, its issue, ...
I don't even understand why some journalists asked him in his press conference 2 days ago...
Posted by: Marie-Noëlle | 10 January 2008 at 09:27
Tara,
Yes, apparently this is how a modern president behaves nowadays. A lot of his predecessors have had various affairs but not reported around the world or advertised like that. The French presidents' wives were never seen as political characters, or scrutinized for their dress/people skills/looks. ( as I remember).
Let's judge the elected man by his actions, his ideals, his work. Families members and affairs should be dis-associated from the political responsabilities, otherwise it opens the door to votes on non-political grounds. On gossip. On fanciful preferences. No,thank you.
It was like that. I liked it that way. I was quite proud of it!
Well, I don't know where to look now.
This is the behaviour of a teenager. Is anybody looking after the country at all? Ma pauvre France! On behalf of my country I must apologise for this nonsense, and I really hope the attention refocuses where it belongs as of today.
Posted by: Miss*Laurence | 09 January 2008 at 23:50
and the running joke on the news here is........how everyone is holding their breath to find out who his mistress will be after he marries.
maybe Carla is preggers and the prez is just doing the right and noble thing? :)
Posted by: awareness | 09 January 2008 at 23:42
Nauseating. This harkens the celebrity press of the USA - ugh! JP/deb (P.S. Think I may smash my Bruni CD!)
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 09 January 2008 at 05:53
Hmm...interesting...I was wondering what the hub-bub was all about when I saw the "French unamused" banner across CNN at the gym (the sound was off). I think the last time I heard of Carla Bruni, she was serenading Mick Jagger away from his wife, Jerry Hall. Yep, I'm out of touch. I blame it all on the Britney media blitz that has taken over the United States this year (what? there's a war still going on? You mean between Britney and K-Fed, right?). ;p
Posted by: susanna | 09 January 2008 at 03:35
To each his own. I'm the last one to deny a person love and happiness. Even presidents are human.
Posted by: robolady | 08 January 2008 at 18:52
You know Tara,
You call it as you see it and I appreciate your insight!
You seem to be able to look through peoples charades and see and call things for what they truly are. You are an intelligent and courageous person. I appreciate you.
xox
C
Posted by: Rochambeau | 07 January 2008 at 23:49
Good for the President. Outfront and honest in his personal life. My hero for attracting such a beauty and talent. Anyone criticising him is just jealous...and want him living their own miserable life. Vous êtes mon héros M président
Posted by: AmericanLibertarian | 07 January 2008 at 21:32
mis bruni 'travelled' the world before 'falling' into the presidential suite. i would not recommend her though... and
sarkozy either!
Posted by: marita | 07 January 2008 at 20:07
I was reading about this in our newspaper...very unseemly behaviour for the very privacy minded French...perhaps the man has been bamboozled and bedazzled...a bit of that old cliche "mid life crisis" and he's feeling powerful because this well known (tongue in cheek) younger woman is so enamoured of him. I am beginning to think that the world has gone mad..."celebrity news", "paparazzi", people feeling they "matter" more if they are in the news, splashed on the front pages of any publication...*sigh* and the rest of us carry on with our every-day hum drum lives!!!
Posted by: Cherie | 07 January 2008 at 20:05
Another distraction from the important issues. **sigh**
Posted by: annieelf | 07 January 2008 at 19:14
Of course it's the same here....we'd have no news if we weren't daily bombarded with Brittany's latest break down.
ugghhhh....
Posted by: stephanie | 07 January 2008 at 17:18
Oh, brother. He's in self-destruct mode. That was quick!
Posted by: Laura | 07 January 2008 at 17:10
Interesting....in the states its expected...LOL
Just dropping by to get your link cuz i lost mine with new template.....found yours through some comments!
Posted by: Just Jen | 07 January 2008 at 17:00
"Politicians seem to want celebrity status these days. Now wonder the world is in such a mess."
Di: exactly! That's what I thought after re-reading the article. He's acting like a rock star or movie star or something.
Posted by: fleur | 07 January 2008 at 16:53
Well, in my personal opinion, I think it's unseemly for him to be getting married to someone he just met a couple of months ago. He IS the president of France! Such behavior is impulsive to say the least. Can't they just quietly date for six months or a year before there is a wedding? :-/
It's like he thinks if he marries her, it'll just stop all the criticism of his dating her -- but -- he barely knows her. As the head of state, he has a bigger responsibility than just to himself for his own actions.
Posted by: fleur | 07 January 2008 at 16:50
Politicians seem to want celebrity status these days. Now wonder the world is in such a mess.
Posted by: Di Overton | 07 January 2008 at 16:45
It seems outright ridiculous to me how much media time they get, what with all the hard news that are happening all around us.
Maybe they decided on this head-on and all-out public courtship on the fact that no matter how much they would have tried to keep it private, the media would have haunted them down. This way the media (and the public that indulges in this kind of entertainment news) get their due and maybe the protagonsts a bit more privacy beyond that public circus. I do not have to like or not like either his politics nor her CDs any better or less because of their love life.
Posted by: Merisi | 07 January 2008 at 16:36