Time has a good article about why the French stayed quiet about Strauss-Khan’s affairs and others.

The pattern of French political behavior — in which class, rank and gender trump all — is long established. It probably had its archetypal manifestation during an off-the-record chat between then President François Mitterrand and a group of journalists. The President was widely known to have had a daughter out of wedlock, a fact that was never published or mentioned in the media. But one journalist had the temerity to bring it up. Mitterrand fixed the daring journalist in the eye, leaned across the table toward him, and mockingly replied, “Yes, I have a [bastard] daughter. Et, alors?!” The message was clear: Yeah, and it’s none of your business, so keep your mouth shut and paper clear of it until I’m ready to inform the public, if you know what’s good for you. There was no further mention of the situation until Mitterrand’s funeral, when his mistress and the daughter appeared as chief mourners with his widow.

The whole thing is very interesting. The tone is also really good. It doesn’t assume DSK is necessarily guilty and strikes the right balance. BHL should take notes.

I suspect that some of the elements listed in the article about why people stay quiet about powerful men’s indiscretions likely apply to the U.S.