DOES HE HAVE A WHITE HORSE?:

Chirac feels the heat as his former protege goes on the offensive: The French president is having to rally support to thwart Nicolas Sarkozy, but some believe his finance minister is the only man who can save the Gaullists (Kim Willsher, 20/06/2004, Sunday Telegraph)

The French finance minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, threw down the political gauntlet to Jacques Chirac last week. In the race to become the country's next president he invited more than 200 MPs from Mr Chirac's Gaullist UMP to a lavish lunch.

According to Mr Sarkozy, known as "Super Sarko", the MPs had been asked to discuss controversial proposals to open France's energy industry to private investment. That the lunch quickly became the hottest ticket in town, however, suggested a different agenda.

Is there a cause less worth saving than Gaullism?

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 19, 2004 8:38 PM