What is most frustrating about the book is not the writing of Sarkozy but the comments, thankfully as footnotes, from the translator, Robert Harnels. Now many of them are rather useful for someone who does not know French politics or France well, but others display rampant prejudice. Harnels repeatedly refers to Sarkozy as right-wing when he is in fact centre-right and the parties he is involved with as anti-European when they are merely Eurosceptic. The only political sector that is truly anti-European in France is Le Pen's Front National, which is extreme-right/national socialist in outlook (or if you prefer socialist nationalists like the UK's BNP). The inaccurate interjections do get a bit tiresome.
That said, this is a fascinating insight into the mind of a man who would be President of France. That the book has sold 300,000 copies and is considered radical in France will be shocking to most of readers of this English-language version. But it is a most impressive piece of political writing from an impressive man.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Philip Huang
I wonder if he regards democratic pluralism as "the worst" of American culture, as evidenced his outbursts during the Charlie Rose interview yesterday:
"If you come to France and you wear a veil, if you go to one of the administrative buildings, then that's not acceptable. If you don't want your wife to be examined by a male doctor, then you're not welcome here. France is a country that's open."
3 - Bliffle
Sarkozy's displays of conceit and doctrinaire ideology on "Charlie Rose" today finally convinced me that he's NOT the great hope of France.
If he were at all original and took an honest look at reality he'd see that todays problems in France come not from a socialized government that promises healthcare to citizens, but from a sovietized business oligopoly that promises eternal prominence to sunset French businesses. Superannuated french businesses are kept operative by the very high barriers to entry businesses, whether in the form of punitive business license fees, required bonding for employee benefits or outright hostility.