French Elections: Spinmeisters was blocked.

Just want to mention that the 2 "outsiders" seem to be the winners.

Royal is a bit of a looker and is no stranger to the rough and tumble world of politics. But has she ever said anything substantial?

PARIS — Conservative leader Nicolas Sarkozy finished first in the opening round of France’s presidential election on Sunday and will meet Socialist rival Segolene Royal in a run-off vote, initial returns showed.

With 40% of the vote counted, Sarkozy had 30.5% of the vote, Royal was in second place on 24.3% and centrist Francois Bayrou in third

I liked Royal at first just because she is hot, but I now really, really hope Sarkozy wins. Royal has run a poor campaign and seems to offer nothing of substance. France needs a dose of Thatcherism to shake up their awful economy and huge welfare state, IMHO.

JoeTro, agree with your assessment.

>> France needs a dose of Thatcherism to shake up their awful economy and huge welfare state, IMHO. <<

You obviously meant "tear down" instead of "shake up".

A dose of Royal will tear them down soon enough.

Hear, hear. You have such delighful certainty ... Whatever, it's not the right place to discuss it here.

For a different take on the election result, one might want to read Tony Judt's opinion in the NYTimes:

<i>France Looks Ahead, and It Doesn’t Look Good</i>

But ultimately what he says is not what others might think is the obvious.