It's a mistake. When you stay in power for too long in our democracies, one always ends up getting a huge kick up the backside, not to mention all the snubs you receive.

Jack,
president for now and king of payback,
confiding he would not seek a second presidential term
The Tragedy of the President, Franz-Olivier Giesbert

Jack, who polls in the basement of public opinion, continues to play coy about a third-term bid. Jack began openly playing this game following his ignominious CPE climbdown last year, after which it became apparent his heir apparent, Dom, was even more unelectable than Jack himself.

LE DÉBAT SUR UNE ÉVENTUELLE
CANDIDATURE CHIRAC RELANCÉ
[THE DEBATE ON A POSSIBLE CHIRAC CANDIDATURE REVIVED]
PARIS 15 novembre 2006 (Reuters)

PRÉSIDENTIELLE: CHIRAC LAISSE TOUTES LES OPTIONS OUVERTES
[PRESIDENTIAL: CHIRAC LEAVES ALL THE OPTIONS OPEN]
PARIS 16 novembre 2006 (AFP)

PRÉSIDENTIELLE: CHIRAC CANDIDAT
S'IL Y A "UN ESPACE POLITIQUE", SELON DEVEDJIAN
[PRESIDENTIAL: CHIRAC CANDIDATE
IF THERE'S "A POLITICAL SPACE", ACCORDING TO DEVEDJIAN]

PARIS 15 novembre 2006 (AFP) - "S'il y a un espace politique, Chirac n'hésitera pas à être candidat", a dit M. Devedjian dans les couloirs de l'Assemblée nationale.

"Jacques Chirac veut se présenter, il ne le fera pas s'il ne décolle pas dans les sondages. S'il continue de plafonner à 3%, il n'est tout de même pas suicidaire mais s'il fait 12-15%, il ira", a-t-il poursuivi.

["If there is a political space, Chirac will not hesitate to be a candidate", {UMP deputy Patrick Devedjian, political adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy} said in the corridors of the French National Assembly.

"Jacques Chirac wants to present himself, he won't if he does not take off in the polls. If he continues to top out at 3%, it's not entirely suicidal but if he reaches 12-15%, he will go ", he continued.]

But M. Devedjian predicts there will be no "political space" for Jack. Ah, astute guesswork, M. Devedjian.

Were Jack to run, it would not be to win, as winning is beyond his pull -- probably beyond his imagining, certainly beyond ours. No, were Jack to run he would run for the pleasure of banjaxing Sarko. But trashing his party's political fortunes out of spite seems petty and small. So Jack has dressed up his spite as a hilarious messianic calling.

SÉGOLÈNE WIN FIRES UP 'GRANDFATHER' CHIRAC

PARIS November 24, 2006 (Independent) - A senior source on the French centre-right, close to M. Chirac, has told The Independent that Mme Royal's crushing victory in the Socialist "primary" last week has rejuvenated his appetite for political combat.

... Now, according to the senior source, M. Chirac has persuaded himself that M. Sarkozy's appeal will collapse in the face of Mme Royal's elegance, charisma, social conservatism and vague but unthreatening brand of socialism. The President believes that he may therefore have a chance to parachute into the race next year as the only person capable of saving the French right from five years of "Ségolènisme".

"He believes that it will be impossible for Sarkozy, or any other male politician of her own generation, to attack Ségolène's offer to be the 'mother' of France. Only a 'grandfather' can point to the mother's weaknesses - in other words himself."

Other politicians on the centre-right - now mostly loyal to M. Sarkozy - say that this a fantasy, encouraged by officials in the Elysée Palace who are "in denial" and dread the end of the Chirac era next spring. The pro-Sarkozy politicians point to the President's great age, his empty record and his unpopularity, even with his own former supporters.

Of course, nobody believes in a bon-papa Jack. So Jack & co. have taken to pretending there is no such thing as an unstoppable Sarko, a triumphant Sarko, or any other kind of Sarko.

VILLEPIN: I'LL GO FOR BREAKFAST, BUT I WON'T VOTE

January 8, 2007 (Paris Link) - Dominique de Villepin has stunned the UMP party by declaring that he will not vote for Nicolas Sarkozy on the 14th of January. He will, however, be present at the breakfast meeting in the morning.

The vote for a UMP candidate on the 14th of January is a mere formality for Nicolas Sarkozy. ... However, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is sowing seeds of rebellion within the ranks by declaring that he will not participate in the vote because Jacques Chirac has not yet declared whether he will stand or not.

CHIRAC UNVEILS MANIFESTO

January 9, 2007 (Paris Link) - Widespread unpopularity has never prevented Jacques Chirac from standing for the Presidency before. Yesterday, he unveiled a five-year manifesto that has led many to suspect he will indeed stand for a third term.

... Chirac has offered no support whatsoever to Nicolas Sarkozy, who he still refuses to mention by name, and privately calls "the betrayer" due to Sarkozy's defection to the [Édouard Balladur] camp in 1995.

VILLEPIN ATTACKED FOR WRECKING RIGHT'S HOPES

PARIS January 11, 2007 (AFP) - In angry scenes at a caucus meeting of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) at the National Assembly, the prime minister was taken to task for failing to back his government colleague, despite Sarkozy's overwhelming popularity among party rank-and-file. Law-makers who attended the behind-closed-doors gathering described the atmosphere as "extremely brutal and tense", as Villepin defended his decision -- made public two days ago -- not to vote for Sarkozy at a special party congress on Sunday.

... "The prime minister was isolated and tried to explain himself, but his position was incomprehensible. He was rounded on," said UMP deputy Yves Bur who attended the caucus meeting.

Witnesses said that Villepin was greeted with howls of outrage when he argued that "diversity" was the best way of ensuring victory at the election, and that this was why he was not rallying behind Sarkozy.

CHIRAC SAYS HE COULD RUN FOR THIRD TERM
PARIS January 11, 2007 (AFP)

CHIRAC'S WIFE GUESSING OVER REELECTION BID
PARIS January 12, 2007 (AFP)

Well, there is one person who understands the Chirac tease is as good as 15 points in the polls.

FRANCE'S LE PEN: THIS TIME I CAN WIN
PARIS January 8, 2007 (AFP)

And he just might with a Jack candidacy queering le 1er tour .

PFFT (What is this?): Comeback Jack 0 | Just-go-away Jack 5 | Rayonnement français 0