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Le Beau Sarko Vexes French

Tiny Casanova's antics create cult status as some deride his lack of decorum

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Dec 23, 2007 1:20 PM CST
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(Newser) – He ain't your daddy's Jacques Chirac, and French president Nicolas Sarkozy's escapades have his countrymen both enthralled and concerned, reports the Guardian. His rollercoaster love life provides delicious gossip to a public that buys "I love Sarko" skivvies, and the tiny dynamo poses for intimate photo shoots and traipses around Disney World with supermodels in hand. But some see the antics as a ploy to divert attention from tough issues. 

The French press has typically avoided leaders' private sides—Francois Mitterand quietly kept a publicly funded mistress. But Sarko himself is the one courting the attention, pulling strings with media pals, and his youthful exuberance recalls JFK's Camelot era. "He's acting more like a celebrity than a president," one critic said.

Pope Benedict XVI and French President Nicolas Sarkozy exchange gifts during a private audience at the Vatican Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007. After meeting the pontiff, the French leader, on his first visit to the Vatican since taking office in May, will visit excavations under St. Peter's Basilica. In the evening...
Pope Benedict XVI and French President Nicolas Sarkozy exchange gifts during a private audience at the Vatican Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007. After meeting the pontiff, the French leader, on his first visit...   (Associated Press)
Italian former top model and singer Carla Bruni performs at the Victoires de la Musique 2004 awards ceremony at the Zenith, in Paris in this Feb. 28, 2004 file photo. Recently divorced French President Nicolas Sarkozy doesn't appear to be hiding his latest love interest. He visited Disneyland Paris with...
Italian former top model and singer Carla Bruni performs at the Victoires de la Musique 2004 awards ceremony at the Zenith, in Paris in this Feb. 28, 2004 file photo. Recently divorced French President...   (Associated Press)
Model Carla Bruni arrives for Cinema Against AIDS event, during the 60th International Cannes film festival in Mougins, southern France, on Wednesday, May 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)
Model Carla Bruni arrives for Cinema Against AIDS event, during the 60th International Cannes film festival in Mougins, southern France, on Wednesday, May 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)   (Associated Press)
Combo shows French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Dec. 5, 2007 and Italian former top model and singer Carla Bruni in Paris on Feb. 28, 2004. Recently divorced French President Nicolas Sarkozy doesn't appear to be hiding his latest love interest. He visited Disneyland Paris with supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni...
Combo shows French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Dec. 5, 2007 and Italian former top model and singer Carla Bruni in Paris on Feb. 28, 2004. Recently divorced French President Nicolas Sarkozy...   (Associated Press)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy adjusts his tie as Afghan President Hamid Karzai waits to inspect a guard of honor at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec 22, 2007. Making the first-ever trip to Afghanistan by a French president, Sarkozy met with Karzai on Saturday to discuss the political...
French President Nicolas Sarkozy adjusts his tie as Afghan President Hamid Karzai waits to inspect a guard of honor at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec 22, 2007. Making the...   (Associated Press)
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media • Nicolas Sarkozy • Jacques Chirac • France • Carla Bruni • Francois Mitterand

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