THE TELEGRAPH: He was the only Western leader who refused to join the scramble to ingratiate himself with Barack Obama.
Irritated by hysteria surrounding the newcomer, Nicolas Sarkozy spent the year after his election issuing veiled insults and patronising digs.
Elysée officials briefed behind the scenes that the US president was a "cold fish", telling Le Figaro that "relations were easier with Bush".
He went on to deride Mr Obama's calls for a nuclear weapons-free world as "naive" and bragged that while he had enacted a cascade of reforms, his US counterpart had placed "all his bets on one" by concentrating on health care. As he rode high in the polls, the French president even crowed that Mr Obama had "lost three elections" since taking office.
The insults were so regular that Mr Obama responded by turning down an invitation to the Elysée after the commemoration of the Normandy landings last June.
But after suffering wipeout in local elections this month and facing speculation that his marriage is on the rocks, Mr Sarkozy has suddenly found the tables have turned. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, March 29, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings sink to lowest ever: French President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings have sunk to their lowest level since his election in May 2007, a poll has shown. >>> | Tuesday, March 30, 2010
