The ceremony isn’t even over, and already there’s a hint of Euro-carping in the air. Socialist Hubert Védrine, the former French foreign minister, and a grim anti-American, is explaining to viewers of the inauguration on France 2 that Obama is “president of the US, but he is not president of the world.” Whether or not the US and Europe recommit to their alliance, he suggested, will be determined by the the Europeans’ ability to fogive Bush. Védrine is the chap who coined the term “hyperpower” to describe the US during the Clinton administration.
Meanwhile, on the BBC, as the swearing-in was beginning, a commentator was warning that having a chief of state and head of government wearing the same suit at the same time is “dangerous.” A parliament of Pelosis, that’s what the world needs.
On Le Monde’s web site, though, the headline’s all about hope, and “le premier Africain-Américain à accéder à la Maison Blanche.” Something tells me it’ll be a long time before an African-Franco (can that be right?) moves into the Elysee.