France Reacts to Strauss-Kahn: Blame America

The arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges initially dazed the French. But by day three, their focus returned to a more familiar place—America bashing. "Today, thanks to Strauss-Kahn, the French who choose to criticize the US have a fresh reason to shake their heads and point fingers at the country they love to hate," writes Kim Willsher in the LA Times. French media "wailed" about presumption of innocence in US headlines and blasted pictures of Strauss-Kahn's perp walk—even as they reprinted those same headlines and photos in their own publications.

The American justice system in particular has taken a heavy shellacking, with complaints that "In America only the wealthy can afford the best lawyers," despite Strauss-Kahn's great wealth and best lawyers. And the coup de grace for Willsher: At Rikers Island, "[t]he food is terrible," complains one French lawyer. Click for an al-Jazeera reporter's description of prison life with infinitely more dire problems than bad food. (More Dominique Strauss Kahn stories.)