With the collapse of his feeble attempt at employment reform, French prime minister De Villepin (you remember him: smooth, sanctimonious, big hair) has been under pressure recently.

Now (via the Daily Telegraph) there’s this: “President Jacques Chirac yesterday denied any link to a corruption inquiry that wrongly targeted his rival and would-be successor, France’s interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy. Mr Chirac has been dragged into the so-called Clearstream scandal, with his prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. Both issued statements indignantly rejecting suggestions they did anything to smear any individual. Mr de Villepin, who frequently clashes with Mr Sarkozy even though they hold the top two positions in government, denied asking for Mr Sarkozy to be investigated. But his claim has been challenged by the intelligence chief he ordered to carry out an inquiry into the scandal….Speculation has been mounting that his office may be raided as investigating judges try to unmask the author of poison pen communications identifying Mr Sarkozy and other prominent figures as holders of secret accounts at Clearstream, a Luxembourg-based bank. Mr de Villepin is alleged by Le Monde newspaper to have cited Mr Chirac’s authority when ordering, as foreign minister, the French intelligence service inquiry.”

And the fact Chirac that has “categorically” denied any involvement can mean only one thing.

To quote John Miller, “pass the popcorn.”