No, Bloggers: Obama Doesn't Think Chirac Is French Prez

(NEWSER) - Someone sounds a little jealous the international media has found a new darling. Nicolas Sarkozy sniped today at President Obama for being inexperienced and indecisive, the Times of London reports. While praising Obama's "clever" mind, the French president complained to party members that "he was elected two months ago and had never run a ministry. There are a certain number of things on which he has no position. And he is not always up to standard on decision-making and efficiency.” More»

Claims money was sometimes hidden in drums

(NEWSER) - Former French president Jacques Chirac and his prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, have been accused of taking $20 million in illicit payments from African heads of state, allegations that both men deny. Lawyer Robert Bourgi, a onetime aide to the politicians, made the accusations in a radio station interview today, Reuters reports. Bourgi claims that between 1995 and 2005 he acted as a "bag carrier" and handed over the money, which was sometimes hidden in African drums and was paid out by the leaders of former French colonies like Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Congo. More»

Sarkozy has 4,000 troops there

(NEWSER) - A mere 12 hours after President Obama spoke on his Afghanistan drawdown, France offered its support for the plan. It will also begin a pullout of its 4,000 troops next month, “in a proportional manner and in a timeframe similar to the pullback of the American reinforcements,” the Élysée Palace said. The decision came after a phone conversation between Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, the New York Times reports. More»

New book spills about why the French first couple is late so often

(NEWSER) - Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy once kept a head of state waiting for a meeting, but they had a good excuse—they were having sex. The revelation about the French president and his ex-supermodel wife gets juicier, ABC News reports: It involves the Obamas. No, not like that! Bruni-Sarkozy "wanted to know if, like the Sarkozys, Michelle and the President had ever kept anyone waiting that way," Jonathan Alter of Newsweek writes in his new book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One. More»

'I'm not interested in waiting months': Obama

(AP) - With the president of France at his side, President Obama declared today that he hopes to have international sanctions against Iran in place "within weeks" over its nuclear program. But he acknowledged he still lacks full support. "Do we have unanimity in the international community? Not yet. And that's something that we have to work on." More»