'Vive Sarko!' Say GOP Hopefuls

The American right may hate the French, but it loves Nicolas Sarkozy. Republican presidential hopefuls have put the Freedom Fries era behind them and embraced the rightish president, the AP reports—despite his occasional tough talk about the American system. Giuliani’s proud that Sarko's been dubbed “the French Rudy,” and Newt Gingrich praises “the boldest campaign in our lifetime.”

Even Mitt Romney, the former missionary to France who uses the country as a generic socialist bogeyman, calls Sarko a “blood brother.” The Clinton campaign has had some fun with Mitt’s renversement: “Considering how often Governor Romney flip-flops," a spokesman said, "he'll be wearing a beret and eating baguettes on the Champs-Elysees next week." (More Nicolas Sarkozy stories.)