Bullfighting Dustup Has France on Guard

Nicolas Sarkozy 'takes me for an imbecile,' says animal rights campaigner

(NEWSER) - France's beloved former sex kitten Brigitte Bardot is threatening to run for the French presidency since leader Nicolas Sarkozy "took me for an imbecile" over her demands for animal rights. The Ecology Alliance party has asked the 76-year-old star to run for France's top slot in 2012. "We think she is the best person to represent us for the presidency," the party's chairman told the Telegraph . "If she accepts, a final decision will be taken next year." More»

(NEWSER) - Europeans may have longer lives and longer vacations, but red-blooded Americans don't want their socialist ways on this side of the ocean, right wing media mouths are eager to remind everyone, MIchael Freedman writes in Newsweek. Underlying much of the opposition to health care reform is the fear that it's part of an anti-American conspiracy to transform the US into a "European social welfare state," according to Rush Limbaugh. More»

Iron support for US still rankles

(NEWSER) - Stiff opposition is mounting against the possibility of former British prime minister Tony Blair being named the first president of Europe. A "Stop Blair" website has been launched, and a cross-party caucus in the European parliament is forming to campaign against him. A new treaty about to be ratified creates the new position, although precisely what the job would entail remains unclear. Opposition to a Blair presidency is particularly fierce in Germany, reports the Guardian. More»