IF HE'S SIDELINED ANY FURTHER HE'LL HAVE LEFT THE STADIUM:

Sarkozy nominated as French presidential candidate (The Associated Press, January 13, 2007)

Sarkozy's nomination was no surprise: He was the only person on the ballot for the UMP party's vote. But the formal anointment further sidelines President Jacques Chirac, the party's founder and one-time Sarkozy mentor.

The French are eager for new direction, and their next president will herald a new era after 12 years under Chirac, unpopular and unlikely to seek a third term. France is discouraged, worried about the rise of economic challenges from China and uncertain about how to reach out to unemployment-stricken blacks, Arabs and Muslims.

"I want to be the president of a reunited France," Sarkozy said in his acceptance speech before an estimated 70,000 people at the nomination convention. "Globalization requires us to reinvent everything -- to think of ourselves as compared to others."

His speech struck a conciliatory tone unusual for a man known for straight talk and, critics say, obstinacy.

"I'll need -- and France will need -- everybody here," Sarkozy said, standing among enormous screens and crowds of banner-waving fans as the €3.5 million (US$4.5 million), U.S.-style political convention began.

Sarkozy, unlike Royal, has firm policy positions on nearly every subject. He has earned both kudos and vitriol for vowing to cut cherished workplace protections, championing tough police tactics in hardscrabble housing projects and dispatching illegal immigrants back to Africa and elsewhere.

In his speech, he touched on education policy -- often seen as a Royal strength -- with a call for a monthly stipend for students to get jobs training. He called the U.S.-led Iraq war "a mistake," though he has also been the most vocally pro-American of France's modern politicians. [...]

Chirac remains a wild card for Sarkozy. The 74-year-old president has not said whether he will run again, though few expect him to. He was notably absent from Sunday's congress for his Union for a Popular Movement party.

Chirac's main ally -- Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin -- has remained cool toward Sarkozy and refused to take part in the UMP vote. Villepin was once considered a possible presidential contender but has been sidelined by several scandals.

Does France have election laws--why would Chirac get to run if his party just nominated someone else?

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 14, 2007 2:23 PM