The general strike called last Thursday in France was a disappointment, not least because it wasn’t terribly general. As usual, government workers made up the bulk of the demonstrators who were marching to demand Sarkozy do something “specific” about the global economic crisis, and they didn’t mean a strategic plan to deal with growing unemployment and a dismal outlook. What they meant, as Bloomberg reports, is an Obama-style stack o’ cash.

To his credit, Sarkozy so far is resisting, calling the handouts “demagogy.” La Tribune reports he’ll face the nation Thursday night, as he promised he would, one week after the strike. Apparently, he’s not going to announce that checks are in the mail (with La Poste, good luck on that one). Instead, his aides say he’s going to go beyond the strikers’ demands and give the mess that France and the rest of the world faces some “coherence and perspective.”

That perspective is an optical illusion, of course, since it will be completely French. He’ll no doubt support the Fillon government’s France-first policies, including giving a boost to cathedral refurbishers and, according to the EUObserver, French car-parts manufacturers. He may also do a lot of blaming the U.S., as the alternative might be self-destructive. Besides, he’ll probably be right.

In any case, the French are among the loudest critics of the “Buy American” theme of Obama’s giveaway, something the Independent is saying may provoke a trade war. The difference between French protectionism and American protectionism? France can support French car-parts guys and pull out all the stops to protect the genetic sanctity of the French leek and nobody cares. But if American unions force that kind of me-first stuff on the country, there’ll be trouble.

The delicate economic balance required is the subject of Bernard Gwertzman’s interesting interview with Walter Russell Mead over at the CFR site. Mead is pretty Sinocentric in his concerns. He convinced me:

We need to look at how this is going to affect China’s view of the world and China’s view of us….If at this time of crisis we slam the door in China’s face, or China thinks that that’s what we’re doing and the Europeans are doing, that is a foreign policy blunder far more dangerous than anything George W. Bush did.

Think of that. Anyway, it might be good news if Obama puts in a good word for free trade and capitalism between looking over the IRS audits of his co-workers, since what Sarko says Thursday night will make good copy in Paris on Friday and help the rest of us do the ain’t-France-crazy dance. But what happens this week and next in the junk-toy factories of Shanghai will probably matter more.