The reviews are in. (See our earlier post for background.)

LET'S TALK
Blah, Blah, Blah...Huh?

SÉGOLÈNE SLIPS IN THE MIRE OF MIDDLE EAST POLITICS

PARIS December 4, 2006 (Telegraph) - The French Right accused Ségolène Royal of acting "like an elephant in a china shop" yesterday after a series of diplomatic gaffes on her first trip abroad since being elected the Socialist presidential candidate. ... Eager to capitalise on this honeymoon period, Miss Royal...embarked on a hastily organised tour of the Middle East over the weekend...where she sought to put into practice her credo of "participatory dialogue" by meeting and talking to all the regional actors without exception.

With stops in Lebanon, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Israel, the trip was aimed at bolstering her international stature and countering claims that the former junior minister is a lightweight on the world stage.

... Instead, it has served to cast serious doubts over her ability to handle complex, sensitive international dossiers.

Apparently informed of her blunder [in affirming denunciations of America and Israel by Hizballah parliamentarian Ali Ammar], she later said that she had only meant to be critical of American policy in Iraq, but not the "the wider policies of the United States".

Pave understood Mlle. Royal's plain spoken comments plain enough. But what does her clarification mean. Does Mlle. Royal think Iraq a thing apart from "the wider policies of the United States"? The French do best on the first take. It's the clarifying that mystifies us.

And nothing like new stupidity to chase out the old stupidity.

Mlle. Royal:

I have made neither a faux pas, nor a gaffe. Nobody will stop me though it may annoy some continuing to talk to all* parliamentarians and democratic, representative authorities.

No mistakes here. Just a seasoned internationalist putting a little polish on the CV.

CONSERVATIVES PILE ON AS FRENCH SOCIALIST
CANDIDATE STUMBLES IN MIDDLE EAST

JERUSALEM December 4, 2006 (IHT/AP) - The camp of Nicolas Sarkozy, Royal's leading challenger on the French right, led the criticism. Sarkozy's party said Royal's five-day trip had been "poorly prepared" and "useless for peace."

Defense Minister Michèle Alliot- Marie suggested that Royal might have endangered French lives in Lebanon, where France has 1,500 troops in the peacekeeping force sent by the United Nations to monitor the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Sarkozy himself, who is taking care not to appear ungentlemanly against a woman candidate, was more measured, noting that the Middle East is "extremely complicated."

But one of his close advisers, François Fillon, showed no such restraint. He told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that Royal had "fallen into Hezbollah's trap."

"Accepting to speak with a member of Hezbollah, which advocates the destruction of Israel, was already a mistake," Fillon said. "Letting him insult France's allies, whether they are the United States or Israel, without reacting, is another serious mistake."

Yes, we think chatting up Hizballah a mistake, too. We are surprised, pleasantly so, to find the Jack Pack coming round.

ROYAL BLASTED FOR 'SIMPLISTIC' IDEAS ON MIDDLE EAST

PARIS, December 3, 2006 (AFP) - Ségolène Royal, the presidential candidate for France's opposition Socialist Party, sparked a foreign policy furore on the weekend as she toured the Middle East in a bid to boost her credentials for the world stage.

... French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy** on Sunday took Royal to task for what he called her "simplistic" ideas on the volatile region, after she made a gaffe while visiting Lebanon on Friday. ... "I want to remind her that we are stronger and better listened to when we remain firm on our principles — I'm thinking in particular about Israel's right to security and about relations with the United States, even if we disagree sometimes with them," he said.

Ouch! M. Douste-Blazy lecturing on "simplistic" ideas! That has got to hurt.

* Curiously Mlle. Royal has ruled out any chat-ups with elected Hamas officials, since January 2006 the majority party of the Palestinian Legislative Council. France reluctantly recognizes Hamas, unlike Hizballah, as a terrorist organization. Perhaps that is the chatty Mlle. Royal's limit. Still, it belies her mission of talking to "all parliamentarians and democratic, representative authorities" and leaves a rather massive diplomatic hole in her Middle East romp.

** The dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™.

PFFT (What is this?): Les bourdes 3 | International stature ½ | Un navet 4½ | Rayonnement français 0