Sarkozy Throws Open His Arms to Bush and the U.S.

New York Times
France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, burst onto the Washington scene on Tuesday, clearly reveling in his first official visit to the White House and asking the United States to embrace him as a friend.
Mr. Sarkozy has met President Bush several times, so the brief visit was a vehicle for Mr. Bush to reward him for his friendship and for the French leader to introduce himself and his team to official Washington.
Setting aside the recent anger he has shown because of his divorce, Mr. Sarkozy backslapped and hugged his way through the day. He also proclaimed his determination to be a reliable partner of the United States.

“I come to Washington to bear a very simple message, a message that I bear on behalf of all Frenchmen,” he said in a toast at a formal White House dinner in his honor. “I want to reconquer the heart of America.”

In his toast, Mr. Bush welcomed his guest with the words “Bienvenue à la Maison-Blanche.”

Earlier in the day Mr. Sarkozy, calling France’s opposition to the American-led war in Iraq “a disagreement,” told the French American Business Council: “I never quite understood why we had to fight with the United States. I never quite got it.”

Here’s some Sarkozy quotes from tonight at the Bush’s BLack Tie Event

“I come to Washington with a very simple message. I want to reconquer the heart of America, and to reconquer the heart of America in a lasting way. I have come to tell you one thing, it is that France and the United States, we are friends, we are allies, always and forever (that is mangled from “depuis toujours et pour toujours,” sorry). I have come to tell you that we can be the friend of America and win elections in France, it is not a miracle, it is a reality. (laughter) …”

Sarkozy also assured the audience that he had no electoral ambitions in the US:

“So here I am in Washington on a first Tuesday in November. (Laughter.) Now, I have no electoral ambitions when it comes to the U.S.even though I know it’s a very special day because it’s the day on which Americans elect their President.”

Finally, despite language that was at time painful in its diplomatic and historical niceties, Sarkozy did briefly touch on common foreign policy challenges:

“We need to take up a challenge of nuclear proliferation, of religious extremism and of fanaticism. And we need to respond to the demands and challenges of peoples who wish to claim their rightful place in a new world, the world of the 21st century — and a new order, that of the 21st century, which is no longer the order of the 20th century. And we need also, together, to find a new balance between man and nature, in order that we may save this planet of ours — and not only save it, but leave it as a legacy to our children in a better state than that in which we found it. Together we must vanquish abject poverty, because it is on abject poverty that terrorism worldwide feeds.”

“A great economy needs a great currency…You have quality labor, some extraordinary companies, you don’t need a dollar that is too weak.”

“We love America, but we love America that is true to its values…We love an America which supports creators but not speculators, we love an America that believes in free trade but also in honest competition.”

“I will say to our Chinese friends, ‘you have been spectacularly successful…you don’t need an undervalued currency to win…It is not even useful. It creates imbalances and, at the end of the day, these imbalances impact you too.”

Wild Thing’s comment…….
What a difference Sarkozy is then America hating Chirac. We will see how Sarkozy does, but so far it appears he wants to be friends with America and that has hope in it.