THE TELEGRAPH: French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a splash even before he opened his mouth as he arrived with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy to give a no-holds-barred speech at Columbia University.
Amid blogger reports of strains in their marriage, Mr Sarkozy and his former supermodel wife made every effort to appear the happy couple, walking closely together and clasping hands as they mounted a staircase into an auditorium packed with students, faculty and other spectators.
The French first lady, elegant in a swept-up chignon and form-fitting black top with grey skirt, at times threatened to upstage her husband, who scolded his American hosts about health care and for not paying enough attention to the rest of the world.
However, Mr Sarkozy is in hot water at home. His poll ratings are at record lows of around 30 per cent and there are widening cracks in his conservative party.
In New York, though, he basked in the rapt attention of hundreds of Columbia students and even jettisoned a prepared speech. "Speeches kill off creativity," he said. "I'm going to speak from the heart."
"Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor," Mr Sarkozy said, referring to the U.S. health care overhaul signed by President Barack Obama last week.
From the European perspective, he said, "when we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it's difficult to believe."
"The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them ... is something astonishing to us."
Then to hearty applause, he added: "If you come to France and something happens to you, you won't be asked for your credit card before you're rushed to the hospital." >>> | Tuesday, March 30, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy to Bury the Hatchet >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, March 29, 2010
LE FIGARO: Sarkozy appelle Obama à «écouter l'Europe» >>> Par Alain Barluet | Lundi 29 Mars 2010
