NO THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
France Ready To Forget. Not So Ready To Forgive.

In a rare instance of concord -- Pave, world opinion, and now France -- all find themselves in agreement: Jack was no prize.

I think we've had enough of Mr. Chirac. We need modern ideas and he doesn't have any.

Paula Rappeneau, 69,
retired civil servant commenting on Jack "serving" France
in some ex-presidential capacity
PARIS March 12, 2007 (G&M)

Everyone agrees he was not exactly a great president. He shakes hands like nobody. He has a smile that's genuine. So I'll remember him as a nice guy -- and as a real screw-up at times.

Igor Polo, 42,
newspaper vendor summing up Jack's political career
PARIS March 12, 2007 (G&M)

Perhaps no surprise, the readers at Libération were less circumspect in their opinions of Jack.

VOTRE ÉPITAPHE POLITIQUE À CHIRAC

12 mars 2007 (Libération) - A l'instar des personnalités qui sont intervenues dans «Libération», écrivez votre épitaphe politique au Président de la République qui laisse cette «France» qu'il «aime».

[Just like the personalities who work at "Libération", write your political epitaph to the President of the Republic who leaves this "France" that he "loves".]

• [après nous] le déluge : Merci Mr le Président. Merci au nom de mon pays, de tous mes compatriotes. Merci du fond du coeur pour ces douze années sous votre administration, douze années de crise de l'emploi, de mensonges, de duperies, d'opportunisme, d'escroqueries, d'affaires, de pot-de-vins, d'électeurs fictifs, de politique du tiers-état agro-industrialiste à outrance héritée des indo-européens, merci pour ce formidable bond en avant dans le bourbier actuel. Merci pour tout ça Mr le Président. Et bon débarras.
  Posté par : après nous - Lundi 12 Mars 2007 - 22:44

  [(After us) the deluge: Thank you Mr. the President. Thank you in the name of my country, of all my compatriots. Thank you from the bottom of the heart for these twelve years under your administration, twelve years of employment crisis, lies, deceptions, opportunism, swindles, scandals, bribes, fictitious voters, of third-estate agro-industrialist politics in the extreme inherited from Indo-Europeans, thank you for this formidable jump ahead in the current quaqmire. Thank you for all that Mr. the President. And good riddance.]

• 18 891€ de retraite : Voilà la retraite de notre 'cher' président qui va donc cumuler ses retraites d'anciens député, d'ancien maire de Paris, d'ancien premier ministre, d'ancien président ... Ne serait-il pas trop tard pour reformer ou supprimer ce regime très spécial des retraites !?
  Posté par : plank94 - Lundi 12 Mars 2007 - 22:44

  [$24,931 retirement: Finally, the retirement of our 'dear' president who now will combine his pensions as former deputy, as former Paris mayor, former Prime Minister, as former president... Would it be too late to reform or eliminate this very special system of pensions!?]

• Bonne Santé ! : Votre carrière politique ne prendra vraiment fin que lorsque votre responsabilité d'ancien maire de Paris aura été examinée sous tous les angles.
  Posté par : Scif - Lundi 12 Mars 2007 - 23:13

  [Good Health!: Your political career will come to an end only when your responsibility as former mayor of Paris is examined from every angle.

Of course, Jack is not without his admirers. The Frenchies at No Rupture were rather choked up. Alain Juppé decorated his blog tribute to Jack with a little heart -- so dang sweet, like a shy schoolgirl. Les jeunes avec Chirac, blog des jeunes chiraquiens apparently are not aware their man is out as the last entry is from January. Or perhaps they have lost heart.

Dom, that chiraquien stalwart, has thrown in with Sarko (as had Alain Juppé and Jean-Pierre Raffarin earlier).

The presidential candidates are doing what you'd expect, free-form thumping on Jack.

SARKOZY SIGNALS BREAK WITH CHIRAC
March 12, 2007 (BBC)

FRENCH CANDIDATES STEP AWAY FROM CHIRAC

PARIS March 12, 2007 (Guardian/AP) - Jacques Chirac's potential successors - including the head of his own party, Nicolas Sarkozy - are racing to distance themselves from the French president's legacy that critics say is marred by economic stagnation and unfulfilled promises.

PFFT (What is this?): Good-bye to all that 4 | Rayonnement français 0